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Chapter 4
Claire stood in front of the mirror trying to decide what to do with her hair. She wasn’t sure what Kevin had in mind for that night. In the end she just decided to leave her hair down. She was always receiving compliments from people about how beautiful her hair was. She applied some mascara, eyeliner and some lipstick and threw the lipstick in her small purse. She looked at her watch and cursed to herself when it ready two minutes after seven. There was no excuse for her being late. She was having one of her indecisive days, which always made her late. She quickly grabbed her white sweater and quickly left the hotel room. She pushed the down button once she arrived at the elevator and it seemed like it was taking forever to get to her floor. She finally heard the ding and quickly entered the elevator as soon as the door opened.
Kevin decided to take a seat in the lobby, where he had a good view of the elevator’s. He was a little nervous that Claire had not come down yet. He feared she had changed her mind and didn’t want to go out with him. That thought was erased from his mind when he saw Claire walk off the elevator. He felt his groin tighten as he watched Claire walk through the lobby wearing black pants and a tight white tank top. He wasn’t sure how he was going to make it through the evening with her looking like that.
Claire finally spotted Kevin when he stood. She could feel the heat rise in her body as she realized he was wearing black jeans, a white wifebeater and a black leather jacket. She had never seen such a good-looking man before in her life. She stopped in front of Kevin and she swooned as he bent over and kissed her on the cheek. She wondered if he noticed the flush spread across her face. "So what do you have in store for me tonight Kevin?" Claire asked, trying to regain some control.
"The woman at the front counter this afternoon told me about this romantic little Italian restaurant that is just a short walk from here, so if that meet’s your approval, we have a reservation there for 7:30. After that I didn’t want to assume anything. I’m game for pretty much anything." Kevin replied. Kevin wasn’t sure what kind of perfume Claire was wearing, but as her scent drifted around him, he had a difficult time concentrating.
"I feel like kicking back and having a good time tonight. Say, are you into dance clubs?" Claire asked.
"Am I into dance clubs? I love dance clubs Claire. There’s actually a really great club just across the street from the restaurant we are going to." Kevin responded.
"I hope you can keep up." Claire said as she smiled up at Kevin.
‘Oh don’t worry, I’ll make sure I can keep up.’ Kevin said to himself. "We’ll see who has to keep up with who." Kevin said to Claire. Kevin took Claire’s hand in his own and they left the hotel. It was a fifteen-minute walk to the restaurant. They were seated as soon as they arrived.
Kevin pulled out the chair for Claire before he took a seat at the table. "You certainly are a gentleman." Claire commented.
"I have my parents to thank for that." Kevin said, blushing at the compliment.
"It sounds like you have great parents Kevin. Where do your parents live Kevin?" Claire asked, wanting to learn everything she possibly could about the fascinating man seated in front of her.
"My mother lives in Lexington, Kentucky. My father actually passed away 6 years ago." Kevin said sadly.
Claire knew the pain he was feeling all too well. "I am so sorry Kevin. I know how difficult it is to loose a parent at such a young age. If you don’t mind me asking, how did it happen?" Claire said sincerely.
"It was cancer." Kevin said quietly. It was times like these that he wished his father were still alive. He knew his father would like Claire.
"Does it get any easier Kevin? I mean, my father died suddenly from a stroke two years ago and the pain just won’t go away." Claire asked.
"If it goes away, I would like to know when." Kevin replied. He finally looked up from the table and was taken back by the pain he saw in Claire’s eyes. He wanted to just take her in his arms and make the pain go away, but he knew no matter what anyone did, the pain never left. "You just have to continue to move on with your life, no matter how difficult it may be." Kevin added.
"I don’t quite understand it. My mother seems to be thriving since my father’s death. She didn’t even show any remorse for not showing up at the gala last night." Claire said.
"I can’t explain that Claire. My mother still has a difficult time with my father’s death even to this date." Kevin said.
"Well you’re lucky to have one parent left then Kevin. I haven’t spoken to my mother in over a year. I couldn’t tolerate her behavior anymore, so I refuse to speak to her." Claire said, not believing she was pouring her heart out to this man she had just met the night before. But Kevin made her feel comfortable, and she sensed she could trust him.
"That can’t be easy Claire. I’m so sorry to hear that." Kevin said sincerely.
"Oh well, that’s life. No one ever said it was fair." Claire said, trying to change the subject. Just at that time, a waitress came by their table to take their drink order. Claire just ordered some Iced Tea. She was already having enough problems concentrating without alcohol in her system. Just being near Kevin was intoxicating enough she thought to herself.
When the waitress brought back their drinks, Kevin placed an order for Seafood Fettuccine and Claire ordered Manicotti. The mood lightened once they ordered their meals. Kevin spoke about his travels with the group and Claire spoke about her job as an Editor. Kevin vowed to pick up the New York Times everyday for the next two weeks and check out Claire’s work, while he was in New York.
Dinner arrived after a short while, and Claire and Kevin both agreed they had never had pasta that good before. Claire was never a big eater, but couldn’t bare the thought of letting anything go to waste. It was 9pm by the time their plates were cleared from their table. The waitress and Kevin tried to tempt Claire into having some dessert, but she just ordered a Cappuccino and Kevin ordered a coffee. It was right around that time that the lights dimmed even further and the music started playing. "How about a few slow numbers before we head across the street to the club?" Kevin asked.
"I would love to dance." Claire said as she removed the napkin from her lap and stood up. There was another couple on the dance floor with Kevin and Claire and she caught the other couple staring at them several times. As the couple left the dance floor, the woman stopped and said, "Excuse me for interrupting, but the two of you make a beautiful couple."
Claire and Kevin thanked the woman for their kind words and smiled up at each other. "You are very beautiful tonight Claire." Kevin said in response to the woman’s compliment.
"Ditto." Claire said, as she looked deep into Kevin’s eyes. For the next hour, it was as if no one else existed around them. Claire loved the way her body molded against Kevin’s. By most standards, Claire was not a short woman, but her 5’7" frame was swallowed by Kevin’s size. She guessed that he was at least 6-foot, and she loved the way his arms felt wrapped around her body. They alternated between light conversation and just enjoying each other’s company.
Kevin was not winning the battle with his body. As time went on, Claire had moved in closer and her body was now pressing against his. He loved the way her body felt against his. He had hoped she could not feel his arousal.
At around 10pm, Kevin suggested that they settle the bill and head across the street. Claire reluctantly removed herself from Kevin’s arm and agreed with Kevin.
On their walk over to the club, Kevin noticed that Claire was unusually quiet. Kevin wasn’t confident what Claire’s feelings were, so this worried him. As soon as they were seated in the club and they had both ordered a non-alcoholic drink, Kevin then asked, "Is everything alright Claire? You’re quiet all of a sudden."
Claire stood up from her chair and sat beside Kevin on the bench. She didn’t feel like yelling across the table at Kevin. "Can I be honest with you Kevin?" Claire said as Kevin put an arm around her shoulder.
"I’ve been completely honest with you, so I hope you would be with me." Kevin said, encouraging Claire to continue.
"I guess I’m a little overwhelmed by my feelings for you Kevin. I’ve never felt this strongly about someone I just met before." Claire said as she looked into Kevin’s eyes. She saw something mirrored in his eyes, but she couldn’t be certain what he was thinking.
Kevin sighed with relief as he listened to what Claire had to say. He was a little overwhelmed as well, and it was a relief to hear that he was not alone in feeling this way. Kevin finally spoke, "The feelings mutual Claire. I literally felt like a teenage boy last night. I can’t explain why my nose got all out of joint when your friend asked you to dance. I was jealous because I wanted you all to myself. Now if you would like to slow things down a little, I would be more than happy to do that for you." Kevin.
"How much slower could we go Kevin? We just met and I obviously want to get to know you better. We haven’t really done anything yet." Claire stated.
"Very true Claire. I definitely want to spend the time with you to get to know you better as well. Why don’t we just continue being honest with each other about our feelings and listen to what the other wants." Kevin suggested.
"Why haven’t you been snatched up already Kevin? Not only are you a good looking man, you are also a remarkable person." Claire remarked.
"It is very difficult to find sincere women when you’re as popular as I am Claire. I date fairly often, but I feel they are all dating me for one reason. I don’t get that feeling from you at all Claire." Kevin replied.
"I know what you mean about people treating you differently. Except in my case, it’s not what I do, it’s who my father was. All my life I have been trying to break away from that. It sounds like we are both searching for someone to love us for who we are." Claire said.
"I think we have a lot in common Claire. Let’s just take this one day at a time and not worry about things right now." Kevin said.
"Sounds like a plan. Now what do you say we hit the dance floor?" Claire said as she stood up in front of Kevin.
The remainder of the night was fun and relaxing for both Kevin and Claire. The music that the club was playing was great so Kevin and Claire spent a good part of the time on the dance floor. Several women had recognized Kevin and asked him to dance but he declined and a few men had asked Claire to dance, but she showed Kevin the same respect and turned them down, neither one of them wanted to be apart.
It was 1:30 in the morning by the time Kevin and Claire made it back to the hotel. Kevin walked Claire to her hotel room and Claire hugged Kevin and thanked him for a wonderful evening. When they were parting from the hug, Kevin lightly kissed Claire on the cheek. It was Claire that placed her hand on Kevin’s cheek and lightly kissed him on the lips. Kevin so desperately wanted to deepen the kiss, but remembered what Claire said earlier, and decided it was best just to follow her lead. They said good night one last time and Kevin watched Claire disappear into her room.
