She laughed. “It’s been a while since I wore heels.”
He looked down at her shoes. “They’re hot. You’re hot.”
“Thanks,” she grinned, waiting while he opened the passenger door of the Range Rover.
On the way to the bar, he kept his hand on her thigh or held hers as he expertly navigated the city streets. She loved watching him. He was so confident and charismatic.
“What are you looking at?” he said, turning to face her when he stopped at a red light.
“You.”
“Are you thinking about all the things you’d like to do with my body?” he asked, his sexy grin making her smile.
“Maybe,” she cooed.
“It’s okay. I think about your body all the time, not to mention all the wicked things I want to do to it.”
His words sent heat through her body. She loved the way he talked. It made her feel sexy and desirable, something she hadn’t felt in a long time. He continued driving, parking in front of the bar he had told her about.
As usual, he ran around to open the door for her and helped her out. She was feeling much more confident in her heels by now, and walked into the bar like she’d done it a million times before. Ben had his hand on the small of her back and steered her towards a table against one of the walls. They sat down and were quickly waited on. She stuck with a glass of wine while he opted for a Coke.
“I’m driving,” he said, when she gave him a funny look.
“Wow, mature and responsible. You’re the total package.”
He chuckled. “I like to think so.”
A few minutes later Rachel and Will showed up. Katherine was a little embarrassed and hoped neither of them held the whole Tim thing against her.
“It’s nice to see you again,” Rachel said, giving her a hug.
Katherine shook Will’s hand. A hug from a woman was one thing, but she hadn’t quite worked herself up to a hug from a relatively strange man.
“This isn’t your usual haunt,” Will commented to Ben.
Ben shrugged a shoulder. “I like to change things up. I figured we could all use a low-key night wearing jeans and doing a little dancing.”
Will nodded his head. “I don’t mind a bit.”
“Me either,” Rachel said, her eyes lighting up as a live band took the stage.
“They’re a cover band that does it all,” Ben said.
“You’ve been here before?” Katherine asked, trying to align the man she knew with the old-school rock bar.
There were pictures of the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane hanging on all the walls. She was excited to hear the live band. She hadn’t been in a bar since she’d met Tim. He would never lower his standards to eat from a bowl of shared peanuts or drink a glass of beer, let alone the actual bottle.
“I think I’m going to get a beer,” she announced.
Everyone at the table looked at her. Ben was grinning. “Good for you. Do you have a preference?”
She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t know. I’ve had Corona before. It’s okay.”
Ben picked up the menu from the table and quickly scanned it. “For a novice, I think you’d want to stick with a lighter beer.”
Rachel nodded her head. “I like some beers and I do love Corona. It always makes me feel like I should be on a sandy beach somewhere.”
“Then that’s what I’ll have,” Katherine declared, feeling daring with her drink choice.