She finally settled on a strappy floral dress with a deep neckline and a modest circle skirt. Isabella had worn it just once before for her mother’s wedding a few years back. That was one of her more enjoyable weddings, as Isabella was old enough to spend the reception completely wasted at the bar.
Isabella pulled it from the back of her closet and tried it on. It still fit perfectly. The dress showed the right amount of skin and accentuated the right features, but still left a little to the imagination. It was the perfect mix of classy and sexy. James would love it.
Isabella woke up late the next morning, hoping some extra sleep would improve the dark circles under her eyes. She felt well rested, but she was nervous. She didn’t go on dates very often and was worried about doing something stupid. James was always so charming and clever, and she worried that she would be too boring for him. After all, the novelty of dating a future surgeon wasn’t a big deal to other surgeons. She couldn’t impress him with all of her knowledge because he knew way more than she did.
That, and an impressive job title only ever worked out for guys. In her experience, girls liked guys with impressive jobs, but guys didn’t like when girls made a lot more than them.
She spent Saturday morning reading, but she was having a hard time staying focused. Isabella hardly ever got nervous, but for some reason, thinking about the date made her insides clench up.
Instead of spending the rest of the day studying, Isabella decided to treat herself to a trip to the salon. She found a place that did blow outs and shelled out the $50 to get her hair styled. The stylist set her hair into loose, beachy waves that cascaded past her breasts. Her nails, which were always chewed, were filed into smooth ovals and painted a soft pink, and her toenails were done to match. She left the salon a few hours later with an added boost of confidence. James found her attractive regardless, but the pampering helped to relax her nerves.
Isabella felt incredibly sexy when she pulled on her dress and applied her makeup. Her skin was already tanned, so she applied a lightly tinted moisturizer, a coat of mascara, and a berry colored lip stain. She stood back to admire her handiwork. It was a very rare occurrence when she looked this put together.
When James met her at her front door, he was stunned into silence.
“You look amazing. Honestly, you look incredible.”
“You have to say that,” she said, waving him off.
“I made reservations at a restaurant, but I’m not sure I want to go anymore,” he said, softly laying a hand on her hip.
She playfully slapped his hand away. “I’m hungry. We can do that later.”
Isabella was thankful that the drive took them far away from their part of town. It lessened the chance of being spotted by an intern or a surgeon dashing out for a quick bite to eat.
They pulled up to a restaurant just as the sun was setting. He opened the car door for her, then handed his keys to the valet.
“I thought you said you weren’t going to spend that much on me,” she scolded.
“You haven’t even seen a menu.”
“There’s a valet. I can put two and two together.”
He tried to defend himself. “I just really like the food here, and I thought you’d enjoy it too.”
She felt a little bad. He was trying really hard.
“I’m sorry. I’m sure it’s great,” she said.
They were seated in a cozy corner of the dark restaurant. Isabella used the light from the candle on the table to read the menu. She balked at the prices. Even for her, it was pricy.
“What are you getting?” she asked him.
“I’m getting the surf and turf,” he answered, snapping his menu shut. “I figured we could split a bottle of wine. What do you like?”
“Whatever,” she said, not wanting to say that she drank whatever was cheap and got the job done.
James noted her hesitancy with the menu. “Order whatever you want. If it bothers you that much, you can pay for the second date.”
“What makes you think there’s going to be a second date?”
He didn’t answer, and instead, waved the waiter over to take their orders. When the wine arrived at the table, James poured her a full glass.
“Hey, are you trying to get me drunk?” she asked.
“I thought it would help take the edge off. You seem nervous.”
“So do you.”
In response, he poured himself an equally large glass. “To a night away from the hospital,” he toasted, clinking his glass with hers.
They both took a long pull.
“So, what do we talk about?” she asked, breaking the silence.
“Ugh,” he crinkled his nose. “Things aren’t off to a good start if you have to ask for a conversation topic.”
“I don’t do this very often,” she said quickly.
“Really?” he said sarcastically. “I would have never guessed.”
“If you’re so popular,” she returned, “how many dates have you been on in the past year?”
He paused for a moment, silently counting. “Two. Three, if you count a double date.”
Isabella was surprised. For a man who was so handsome and confident, she figured he went on dates fairly regularly.
She took another drink. “I thought that number would be higher.”
“I’m not exactly boyfriend material to a lot of women. I work a lot of hours, and I’m not home a lot. At this rate, I’ll only be busier in a few years. I won’t have a ton of time to take care of kids, nor will I be available for hosting parties or attending benefits. My career comes first, and not a lot of women are okay with that. I understand that they want more out of a partner, but I can’t give that to them.”
“I have a similar problem,” she added. “Except no one wants to date me in the first place because my high-powered career will overshadow theirs.”
“Maybe we have a lot more in common than you think,” he said, taking a sip.
The wine had kicked in, and the two of them had loosened up since they first sat down. They ate their expensive seafood dinners, laughing and having a good time. It was fun spending time with James outside of work. At the hospital, there were always too many people around. At the restaurant, they ate together and didn’t have to worry about who was listening.
It was impossible to not talk about work, but it was fascinating for Isabella to hear stories about the doctors that she revered. She never would have imagined that Dr. Jensen went to medieval festivals in his free time, but it made so much sense when James told her about it. After much prying, she even got him to rank the interns in order of knowledge and ability. It was no surprise that she came first, because she was the best, but also because he was trying to impress her on their date.
After they ate, despite her protestations, he ordered the restaurant’s signature chocolate lava cake. He was really going all out for the date.
“Do you always eat like this?” she asked, licking chocolate sauce from her lips.
“Never,” he said, taking a bite. “I eat a lot of cafeteria food, so this is a special treat. Did you like it?”
She nodded. “You’re going to have to roll me out the door,” she joked.
>
When the bill came, he looked at it, purposefully emotionless. He quickly pulled out his credit card and returned it to the waiter.
“How much was it?” Isabella asked, finishing off the wine.
“Oh, I don’t remember.” He feigned ignorance.
“I don’t want you thinking that I owe you sex after that major expense,” she said half-jokingly.
He looked her in the eye. “You don’t owe me anything,” he said earnestly. “I haven’t had this much fun in a long time.”
“I had fun, too,” she said.
They walked out to the car, and to his total surprise, she slipped her hand into his.
Before he started the car, he turned to face Isabella in her seat.
“I had a really nice time with you tonight.”
“Me too.”
He paused, trying to carefully choose his words. “I don’t want to put any pressure on you, but if you want, you can come back to my place. But I completely understand if you’d like me to take you home instead,” he added quickly. “You can have a drink at my place, and then I can take you back home.”
She grinned. It was funny seeing him all serious. “I’d like to see your place. I’ve always wondered how you live when you’re not at work.”
He started the car. “Then let’s find out.”
Chapter Ten
James’s house wasn’t as big as Isabella imagined it to be, but the inside was more decked out than she could even imagine. He had a massive big screen TV mounted on the wall in his living room, and a plush sectional couch that hardly looked used but probably cost a fortune. His kitchen had state-of-the-art appliances and cookware. The office was wall-to-wall bookshelves with a seating area with leather furniture by the fireplace. Isabella imagined that he smoked expensive cigars here with his old college roommates. It was a bachelor pad through and through.
He took her back to the kitchen and made her a cocktail. She sipped it as he cracked open a craft beer.
“Do you want to go outside?” he asked.