“Maybe I’m just a sucker,” I replied, dropping her hand and sliding my fingers along her waist. I pulled her close, losing all considerations about being seen engaged in public displays of affection.
“I don’t think you’re a sucker,” she purred. “I think you’re a hot guy who wants to make his mark on the world doing something good. What’s wrong with that?”
“Can we go back to the hot guy part?” I teased, capturing her mouth with another thirsty kiss.
She circled her arms around my neck, rising up on her tiptoes to gain some leverage. I wrapped both hands around her waist, getting comfortable in the process. I wondered why we were still on the street. I fully expected her to invite me up.
Instead, she gave me a deep, provocative kiss and then pulled away like a pro. “Thanks for the drinks,” she said.
I couldn’t hide my disappointment. I wanted to be with her that night, to explore her body in more ways than one. But she clearly wasn’t ready. There was a dreamy look on her face that I didn’t want to disrupt. If I could remember her just the way she was, freshly kissed with her cheeks pink and her lips swollen, then I could take care of myself that night.
I wondered how far Cory had gotten, and if that had anything to do with her decision to go upstairs alone. I watched as she walked up the front steps to her building. Taking out a key, she fit it in the lock. Just before she disappeared, she turned and blew me a kiss.
I felt like some kind of high school amateur, not the hard-hitting up-and-coming mayor that I hoped to be. She made me happy all the way to my core, like no one ever had. I would wait as long as she wanted, but hopefully I had conveyed my interest in getting to know her better. That night had been fun, but I wanted more. I wasn’t ever going to be satisfied until Petra was lying beside me in my bed, fast asleep after a long evening of lovemaking.