10. Date Night

Date Night

Dex

J udging by Nicole’s face as she picks up an escargot, Felix was fucking with her. I watch and hope she’ll enjoy it when she takes a bite. They’re soaked in butter, so they’re probably not half bad.

On a whim, I stop cutting my own steak and lean over to spear one of the snails I ordered for her, thankful they’re already out of the shell. That’s the hard part. I pop it into my mouth as Nicole stares, and I let the butter coat my tongue. The sensory experience of escargot is not for the weak, but the taste is orgasmic.

I close my eyes and smile as I swallow, hoping it encourages her to taste her food. It works, and she cringes before popping the escargot into her mouth .

Watching her reaction is amusing. She goes from slowly chewing with her face squished to relaxing her jaw, widening her eyes, and nodding as she greedily chews. “It’s not terrible.”

“I’ll tell Felix you like it,” I say.

“He won’t believe you.”

I set my fork and knife down. “I know he’s hard to take, but he will come around. I have full faith in that. I’ve known him a long time. Trust me.”

“Any tips on how I can win him over?”

“Can I ask if you’re sure you want to win him over?”

“I do. I don’t know why I’m interested in this arrangement, but I am. It’s so odd. It’s never been on my radar, but now that I know you and work for you, I don’t want to give that up. I enjoy spending time with you, and you’ve both made it clear that you’re a package deal. Are you sure Felix is interested in dating a third person?”

“Yes. He’s always been on board. I talked to him the other night. After that talk, part of me wonders if he’s always thought he’d be the one to pick the third. Neither of us thought it would be this hard to agree, but I met you and just…well, I just knew I at least wanted to get to know you. That’s what this is,” I say, waving between us and then around at the restaurant.

“How do I get him to like me?”

I shake my head, sigh, and pick up my utensils again. “Not a clue. Felix and I were easy when we met. We met, he came home with me, and neither one of us ever wanted him to leave again. ”

Nicole swallows another snail and then takes a drink of her wine. I smile at the idea of her going from a bologna sandwich kind of girl to fondue, escargot, and wine in just a few weeks. I like showing her things. I like being a new experience for her. It’s fun watching her reaction to experiences, and she’s under my skin already. When I’m with Felix, I wish she was with us so I could show her what we’re doing. When I’m with her, I miss Felix at my side. It’s horrible spending time with them separately, and I want them to get along so bad it’s all I can think about.

“You’re improving your dance skills. I brag about you all the time to Felix.”

“He’s not impressed, is he?”

I smile and go back to cutting my steak. “He’s more of a visual person. He’ll have to see it to understand.” I meet her eyes across the table. “Come to the club with us sometime. It may help. It’s also where our relationship will be welcome outside of our home. We can be ourselves. Dance together.”

“Would that make Felix happy?” she asks, tilting her head.

I lean forward and cup her cheek. “It would make me happy. I know we’re out on a date without him, but I want to try getting together as a group every now and then. It won’t work otherwise.”

The waiter brings the dessert menu as Nicole and I finish eating, chatting easily about work and the dance contest. When we pass on dessert because Nicole is too full, I pay the bill in cash and offer Nicole my arm to get up from the table .

“What next?” she asks.

I lean over to kiss her cheek. “I promised you something.”

***

The theater is almost empty since the movie has been out for a year. Nicole and I take a seat in the back, and I press my hand to her thigh as soon as we settle in our seats. Talk about growth. A month ago, she would have trembled at my touch. Now, she expects it. My hand belongs there.

“I thought you said you’ve seen this a ton,” she says. “Are you sure you want to see it again?”

“And you said you hadn’t seen it at all.” I turn to face her, shifting the popcorn tub to the side to look at her. “Do you want to leave?”

“No!” she practically yells. A couple a few rows in front of us glares at us, and I wave. Nicole pushes my arm down with a laugh. “I just don’t want you to be bored.”

The beginning starts to loud music, and I lean over until I’m right in front of her face. I shift the popcorn to the seat next to me and forget about it as I press my lips to her mouth. My cock hardens at the proximity and the way her hands slide down my chest as she opens her mouth, allowing my tongue to taste and explore. For someone who hasn’t been kissed a lot, she’s pretty decent at it .

And I love to taste and explore her. I love that she’s so different from Felix’s hardness and scruff. He takes. She gives. Both let me lead, but it’s different in the execution.

I pull away from her so she can see the beginning summary. “Please let me say this just once because I think it’s been on your mind. You do not bore me. OK?”

“But Felix –

I put my finger over her lips, still wet with my spit. “You’re not Felix. Felix isn’t you. I like both of you just the way you are. I don’t need a clone of Felix because I, well, I already have Felix,” I say, scratching the back of my neck awkwardly. “I really like you, Nicole. If you can get over the weirdness of the relationship dynamic, I want to continue getting to know you.”

“What does that mean?” she whispers. The couple in front of us turns around to glare again, and Nicole ducks her head a bit, still looking to me for an answer.

“It means that I don’t want to see other women.”

She nods, and I settle back in my seat, placing the popcorn bucket between us. I take a drink from my soda and get into the movie until she wraps her arm around mine and tucks her face into my neck. “It’s so damn weird, but it feels so right,” she whispers. “I can’t explain it. The only thing wrong is Felix hating me.”

I smile against her cheek in response and watch the movie without interruption. When it’s over, we hail a cab as soon as we leave the theater, and I walk her to her front door .

I look up at her building, hoping for an invitation inside for coffee…or other things. Nicole seems to be having an internal discussion about inviting me in because she opens the building door, closes it and walks back to me, opens it again, and then comes back to stand in front of me. I laugh at her indecisiveness, and her mouth opens and closes like a fish as I step forward.

I chuckle and run my hand down her nose. “It’s OK. I don’t want to come in if you feel like you owe me something for the night.”

“I’m sorry,” she says, shaking her head. “I grew up in a very different world, and I need help being different.”

I grip her shoulders and gently pull her to me so I can kiss her forehead. “When you’re ready, Nicole. For all of it. This is new territory for me, and it’s definitely new for you. Don’t worry about Felix. He’ll come around. OK?”

She nods in silence, and I make the decision for her. “I like you, Nicole. I’m not going anywhere.” I kiss her on her cheek one last time, not wanting to be away from her warm skin. My cock twitches to attention in my jeans as my balls disagree with me not going up to her apartment and turning her into a sex-hungry minx. But Felix is at home waiting for me. My balls won’t hurt for long. “Good night.”

I hold on to her hand until we’re far apart and only our fingers touch. She giggles before we finally part, and I raise my hand to hail another cab.

“Good night, Dex. See you at work tomorrow. ”

I look back and point. “You have training tomorrow before work. Be there or be square.”