Stacy jumped up, laughing. “No, wait.” She doubled over for a second before getting upright again, her eyes sparkling with amusement. “You’re not good at this, are you?”
“What gave me away?” I said flatly, and she laughed more. It was a melodic, joyful noise. Something I could fall asleep to at night.
“That first line was a good one, but then you just kept talking.”
I threw my hands in the air. “I knew it!” I groaned. “I didn’t want you to think I was just here for that. The yoga really helped.”
Her laughter subsided, but a gentle grin remained. “That first line wasn’t really you, though.”
It sent chills down my spine. Had she really figured me out so much in just a couple of hours? “It sounded like something my older brother would say, and he always did great with women.”
Stacy walked across the studio until she was standing right in front of me. I had to repress the urge to kiss her. She agreed to go out with me, but we weren’t there yet. “Just be yourself, Gabriel. You’re pretty great.”
I was ice cream melting under the warm embrace of the afternoon sun. Stacy glowed like it, too. “Thanks. Drinks?”
She nodded with a giggle. “Drinks sound great.”
I typically liked to put a little more effort into my dates when I planned them, but spur of the moment seemed to be working with Stacy, so I decided t
o ride that train until the wheels fell off. After changing into a spare suit I always kept in my car for emergencies, I followed her to her house and waited outside while she got changed. She lived in a modern-looking home with a flat roof and tons of windows.
I couldn’t keep myself from doing a slow scan of the neighborhood while I waited, checking to see if she had any neighbors around our age. If I were a guy living across from Stacy, I’d almost certainly turn into a creep. I had no right to stop anyone from looking at her, but if I gave them an evil stare, it wouldn’t hurt, right? I need not find out. After about twenty minutes, all I’d seen were elderly couples and a few families.
When Stacy came back out of the house, I was tempted to drive off. She’d left her earlier sundress behind and had changed into a flower crown of black roses and a black and blue bohemian chiffon dress that hugged her shoulders, chest, and stomach, then flared out in a train at the waist, giving me sweet shots of her legs as she walked. She topped the ensemble off with black wedge-heel sandals and a circlet around her right bicep.
“Fuck,” I hissed out loud.
I wanted to believe she was at her max back at the studio, just the kind of woman who likes to look her best always, but her earlier appearance was just a work-out persona. Dressed-up Stacy was a bullet to the face. She climbed into the driver’s seat, filling my car with a sweet scent of milk and honey.
I grumbled. “You have to get out. I’m not worthy.”
A brief look of shock faded into a chuckle. “You clean up pretty nice yourself there, Mr. Varasso.”
It was downright unfair. How was every single word out of her mouth electrocuting me? What was I thinking, asking her out? I could barely be in a completely professional situation and not make an ass of myself. I was going to ruin the date for sure. I felt a hand on mine and looked over. She had a crook to her smile, and her sea-green eyes were dead set on mine.
“It’s okay.” She shook her head. “I can damn near see you writing doubt on your forehead. I wouldn’t have agreed to go out with you if I didn’t want to go. Just relax.”
My heart was pounding, cracking my chest cavity more and more with each beat. “Thanks. Sorry. I swear I’m not new at this.” That wasn’t entirely true. I’d been out with women before, but I’d never been out with a woman like her.
“I believe you.” She pulled her hand back and set it in her lap. “Where are we going for drinks?”
“There’s this great place outside of Philly. It’s got a more,” I said and fumbled for the word, “natural vibe. I think you’ll like it.”
The small grin on her face curved into an impressed smile. “It sounds like I will.”
“Great. Let’s go.”
I drove Stacy to the place I’d told her about on the outskirts of Philadelphia. It wasn’t just that it had an atmosphere I felt like Stacy would enjoy, but it had the added benefit of being about a thirty-five-minute drive. All the more time to spend with her. We chatted nonstop on the way to the bar, and then once we’d collected drinks and found a table, our conversation continued like we were old friends. Only after there was enough liquor in me was Stacy able to drag me to the dance floor, where minutes faded into hours.
The dance floor was packed, but for as much as we knew, we were the only two there. Upbeat songs had Stacy shaking her hips and swirling around me like a pro, manipulating her body in ways I didn’t know were possible. The flashing, multicolored lights danced over her pale skin and made me want to move wherever she did. I wasn’t a dancer, but that night I was. For Stacy, I’d dance nonstop. If not then, then certainly when the songs crawled into slower melodies that pulled Stacy against me, swaying her hips under my hands that were allowed to rest there. That alone was worth the price of admission.
“I could have sworn you told me you don’t like dancing,” Stacy mocked when we finally returned to our table in search of food. “Couldn’t tell.”
“I couldn’t either,” I admitted. “I blame you. You looked like you were having so much fun.”
“I was.” She shrugged. “I still am.”
She tore her eyes from mine to look down at the menu, and a tiny, unreasonably adorable squeak popped out of her.