Page 28

I’d have waited until midnight for you.

“I promise I am not usually late,” Jillian insisted. “Well, I used to be but my friend Max got me out of the habit. Anyway, today I just got…careless with the time!” Her face lost some color and she hurriedly added, “Not that I didn’t think meeting you was anything to care about! I totally cared, I promise! In fact, caring is what made me late! Please don’t think I’m a geek but I just couldn’t figure out what to wear!”

“Oh my god, me too!” Amy told her. “Like, a dress seemed too dressy…”

“Right! And even high heels seemed like too much.”

Amy beamed. It made her feel a thousand percent better knowing that Jillian had gone through the same mental gymnastics trying to come up with an outfit for their date. It also helped that she seemed just as nervous about this date as Amy was. And Jillian’s rambling was adorable!

And good lord! The thought of Jillian in high heels! The woman would be about seven feet tall! And now even more blood was flowing south at that image!

Only a few minutes into their date and Amy was already wet.

“Well, you look great,” Amy said.

“You too. I think we both pulled off just the right amount of stylish-but-casual.”

“Shall we get some coffee?” Amy asked.

“Oh, thank god, yes! I could use some. But let me treat you! I feel so horrible that I was this late.”

But Amy shook her head.

“Nope,” she replied. “I invited you and so it’s on me.” After a half-second’s consideration, she decided to be bold and loop her arm around Jillian’s, the contact sending a little electric thrill down her spine and straight to her clit. Not only that, but the contact felt…perfect. It felt like she had found a missing piece of herself.

She took a deep breath.

Too early. Too early. Too early!

Amy led her date to the ordering counter.

It was the new(ish) La Vida Mocha girl, Amber, who took their order. When Jillian asked for a white chocolate mocha, Amy decided to copy her, remembering reading somewhere that a surefire way to signal attraction to somebody was to subtly mimic their moves. While they waited, Jillian surveyed the surroundings.

“This is a cool spot,” she eventually declared. “I knew this place was here but I’ve never come inside. I’m more of a Starbucks girl.”

Amy crossed her arms and gave Jillian a faux stern expression.

“Okay, I am going to try my hardest not to hold that against you, but just so you know, it will be very difficult.”

Jillian laughed.

“Oh, I know! I’m a slave to the chain places and I need to break free. Do you realize that my idea of going out for Mexican is a visit to Taco Bell?”

Amy couldn’t help the look of surprise which came over her face. Taco Bell? Starbucks? Carlsbad wasn’t a backwater town in the hills of Arkansas where options were limited. This was Southern California! There were all sorts of wonderful independent and local dining and caffeine-dispensing options everywhere!

“I see I have a lot of work to do with you,” she said, arching an eyebrow.

“Is that right?” Jillian asked. “And how do you propose to start?”

Amy was certain the timbre of Jillian’s voice had an undertone of flirtation and she bit her bottom lip, gratified when she noticed Jillian’s eyes zero in on her mouth.

Unfortunately, it was at that moment when Amber, completely oblivious to the sexual tension which Amy would have thought was obvious to even a blind person, butted in.

“Here are your drinks, ladies,” Amber said, placing the two coffees on the pick-up counter, her brown eyes crinkling with the smile that was hidden by her face mask.

Gee, thanks, Amber!

Back at their table, Amy said, “So, Jillian, tell me about yourself; I mean stuff we didn’t go over during our interview the other day.”