"You must've married young. I know you're older than me, but not by much."
"Yeah, we married after college. I was 22."
"So none of your boyfriends before your ex, they never wooed you or what did you call it, courting?"
Chuckling, I nodded. "Yeah, courting. But boyfriend, not boyfriends. Brian was my only boyfriend."
He paused for a minute, assessing my statement. "Was he the only person you dated and, er, slept with?"
Nodding again, I gauged his expression.
"When did you two start dating?"
"Sixteen."
"Sixteen?"
"Yup." I popped my 'p' like my teen clients and watched his face waiting for some reaction. Whatever I was expecting, I didn't get.
"Well then, beautiful," he grinned wide, "I guess that means we'll have to correct that, now won't we." His seduction was a tangible thing, thickening the air with it.
Butterflies erupted in me again, and I wasn't sure if it was nerves or anticipation, but either way, I had a feeling this lunch had just shifted something drastically in my life.
Our food came, and we chatted as we ate, our conversation natural and companionable. Nicco shared more about his shop and admitted he wanted to be an art teacher. I told him about Jude and how I was thinking of mentoring him. He choked when I told him where, and an odd look crossed his face.
"So, this might be a weird request, so feel free to say no if it makes you uncomfortable," he paused. "I want to see you. So, I'm hoping my request won't be too out there. I have this family thing I have to do tomorrow. We sort of host these fighting matches, and I wondered if you might want to go with me. I don't think it's really your scene, but I promise you'll be safe with me."
He seemed nervous as he asked me, and while I wasn't sure if I would enjoy watching people beat one another up, the thought of doing something on his turf excited me at how much I wanted to say yes.
"I would love to, Nicco. It sounds like exactly what I need. When is it?"
"It's tomorrow night. Does that work okay?"
"Yeah, it works." I grinned, not wanting to admit I didn't have a life and therefore had no plans.
He smiled at my answer, and my body temperature began to rise again. Moving closer, he whispered into my ear, "What time do you have to be back at work?"
Looking at my phone, I realized that unfortunately, I didn't have enough time to do anything his eyes were promising. Sighing, I looked back up at his handsome face. Man, he was attractive.
"Regrettably, I have a session in about 20 mins."
"Well then, I'll just have to live in anticipation of tomorrow night. Here, give me your phone."
Handing it over, I watched him scroll through my contacts, landing on a name I hadn't noticed. Stud Muffin. Chuckling under my breath, I watched as he typed a message and sent it to himself, I assumed.
"There. Now I can text you every time I think of you and properly woo you."
"Okay, Stud Muffin," I teased.
"Why, thank you!" He touched his chest in jest, a smile blooming on his face. "I'm humbled by your words, beautiful." Nicco winked, and I found myself laughing at his fun personality.
Slowly, he leaned in and pressed his lips to mine. It was gentle and soft and filled me with enough heat to set the room on fire. When he pulled back, a sound I would deny escaped, heating my cheeks even more. Thankfully, Nicco ignored it, only smirking. His damn smirk was too cute to be annoyed by it.
Gathering our belongings, we headed out after he paid for lunch. When I tried to pay for part of it, he gave me this look that made me put my wallet away without saying anything. I guess he was taking this wooing thing seriously. Nicco walked with me to my building and left me with another mind-numbing kiss.
My face must've broadcasted how well lunch had gone based on Doris' smile as I entered New Horizons. I didn't even care. It felt amazing not to be thinking about all the crappy things in my life and to feel wanted by a man. I had about ten minutes now before my session, so I put my coat and purse away as I tried to focus on my job.
My phone buzzed, and I remembered I hadn't looked after he sent a message. There were now two messages from Stud Muffin.
Stud Muffin:Prepare to be wooed
Stud Muffin:Just so we're clear. I want to hear your screams of pleasure as you moan out my name. I can't wait till tomorrow night. Plan to stay over, beautiful. I have so many things I want to do.
Heat filled my face again, and I felt myself grow wet at his words. Shit. Fanning myself, I pulled up a relaxation track I used with clients and hit play, needing to center myself. Five minutes later, I wasn't completely relaxed, but I wasn't feeling aroused, which was good before heading into a session. Locking away my thoughts, I pulled on my therapist mask and tackled the rest of my day, feeling invigorated.