Not a Date

Because I have a posting problem, and I'm a sucker for a few good comments...
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I was busy at work on Thursday with my clients and preparing to start my group in two weeks.  I stayed late, intending to get a little ahead on paperwork and then go straight to meet James from the office, not giving myself time to put in any extra effort.  After all, it wasn't a date.

I left at 6:50, and made the short walk to the wine bar I had told him to meet me at.  I arrived at 6:56, and he was already there, leaning casually against the wall near the door.  He must have come right from work too, and was wearing a perfectly tailored suit, no tie.  Damn it, why'd he have to be on time?  I'm such a sucker for punctuality.  And suits.  He looked good.

He stood up straight when I walked in and greeted me with a kiss on the cheek.  He had to bend to do it.  He was taller than Brody, probably at least a foot taller than me.  I smiled at him, uneasy at the flutter in my stomach when his lips touched my face.  We made our way to a table and sat. 

I adjusted the hem of my pencil skirt so I could cross my legs.  We ordered our drinks, and he smiled that disarming smile at me again.  "So, busy day at work?" he asked.  "I don't even know what you do, actually."  He looked at me expectantly.

I told him about my job, and he listened intently.  "And you?" I said when I finished.  "I know where you work, but I don't really know what you do."

"Ah, that's right, I gave you a card, didn't I?" he remembered.  He smirked at me.  "Did you Google it?"

"Guilty as charged," I said with a grin.  He laughed. 

"I was a patrol officer for 7 years.  I made detective 4 years ago, and made it into homicide a year after that.  My brother started Dennison Security about that time, and asked me to join him, but I was too happy about making homicide to do it.  After about a year, he was getting requests from big clients for investigative work, and he approached me again.  I agreed to do a little consultant work on the side, but as the business grew I didn't have enough time.  He made me an offer I couldn't refuse, and I left the PD to work with him full time. So now he handles the security consulting side, and I handle the investigation side.  I do a little security work when he's short staffed or investigations are slow."

"What kind of investigations?" I asked, intrigued.

"Private investigation work, mostly.  It's largely custody and divorce disputes, nothing too exciting.  We do some corporate work too, consulting on internal stuff and doing in-depth background checks.  It's not what I thought I'd do when I graduated, but it's flexible, I'm my own boss for the most part, and it's different every day, so it works for now."

He asked me about growing up in Wisconsin and conversation flowed easily from there.  Before I knew it, the server was back, asking if we wanted another drink.  James looked to me, a question in his eyes.  I considered briefly before nodding.  James smiled and asked for another too.

"Staying, then?" he asked, his eyes alight.

"I haven't decided," I replied.  "I need a little more time."

The longer we were there, the more his cocky, overconfident facade melted, and his charming, funny personality shone through.  This isn't so bad, I thought to myself.  I realized I was actually having fun, and James made it all really easy.  I ordered a third glass of wine.

As I was finishing up that glass, I snuck a peak at James's watch.  "Holy shit!" I exclaimed.  He looked surprised for a second and then laughed.

"What?" he asked, curiously.

"It's almost 11," I replied.  "I should really get going, or I'm going to be really sorry tomorrow."  He seemed surprised at the time as well, and looked at his watch.

"I guess it is," he confirmed.  "It went fast."  I had paid cash for my first drink, but had started a tab when I ordered my second, since I wasn't sure how long I'd be there.  I excused myself to go to the bathroom, planning on stopping at the bar on the way back and paying my tab.  While I was washing my hands, I stared at my reflection in the mirror.  I look happy, I realized, smiling at myself.

I went to the bar and asked to close my tab.  The bartender looked and then told me that our server had just closed it out.  He handed me a receipt for a cancelled sale.  I looked at it in confusion for a second.  "I believe the gentleman you're here with paid, so we just added your drinks onto his tab," he offered helpfully.

I walked back to the table and raised an eyebrow at James.  "I just tried to close my tab," I said, "except there wasn't a tab to close. You agreed to let me pay for my drinks."

"No," he argued, smiling slightly at my irritation.  "I agreed to let you pay for your DRINK.  And I did.  The deal didn't apply to subsequent drinks."  Technically, he was right, and it was awfully rude to be angry at someone that had just paid for your drinks, so I relented.

"You win this time, I guess," I admitted.  "Thank you."

We walked out to the curb to wait for cabs.  "I had a lot of fun," James said, looking at me intently.  "Thanks for humoring me."

"I had fun too, actually," I said, with a teasing smile.  "And if you still wanted to take me out on a date, I wouldn't say no this time."  I surprised myself with my boldness.  James looked a little surprised too, but quickly recovered.

"I would love to.  Are you free on Saturday?"

"Not this Saturday, but I could do Sunday," I replied.  He shook his head.  "My next week is a little crazy, but right now I do have next Friday open," I tried.  A cab pulled up to the curb, and he pulled open the door, motioning me to get in.

"Next Friday would be perfect," he said.  I quickly gave him my number and he promised to call next week.  He hugged me quickly and kissed me on the cheek and then I got into the cab.  It wasn't until I was almost all the way home that I realized that I hadn't thought about Brody since I had compared their heights at the very beginning of the not-date date.