Brian
Ch 3 Dinner
I took another
sip of wine as I waited for Brian to return from the restroom. We'd ordered our
dinners and were relaxing with a drink at a lovely Italian restaurant at an
outdoor mall. We were seated in the corner of a fenced-in patio area
and only a few blocks from the beach. I could smell the sea as the gentle wind
brushed against my face like a memory long lost. I was grateful
I'd remembered to bring my light jacket along, as I'd have been
chilly without it. I caught movement out of the corner of my eye and I looked
up to see him walking towards me, smiling.
He was wearing
a nice pair of khakis and a brightly colored Aloha shirt, his almost black hair
shining in the late afternoon sun. He saw me watching him and walked directly
to me to plant a kiss on the top of my head before returning to his own seat
across the table. He reached into the pocket of his shirt and withdrew a pair
of black wrap around sunglasses. He set them down in front of me then settled
back into his seat to wait, saying nothing.
Puzzled, I
gave him a raised eyebrow, but he only gestured back to the sunglasses. I
picked them up, turned them around, and froze. The inside of the lenses had
been painted black.
"What,
here?" I questioned, guessing what he had in mind.
"Yes,"
was his answer.
"But
we're at a rest…"
"Yes,"
he interrupted me, "and?"
"But we
haven't even had din…" My retort faded as I caught the look on his
face. He appeared amused, as the corner of his mouth was turned up,
but his eyes were serious, his gaze piercing. He crossed his arms, effectively
shielding himself from any further resistance from me.
He was letting
me choose again, but making it quite clear exactly what he wanted. He wanted me
blind, here in public at a restaurant while we ate our dinner. I looked up at
him as I reached for the sunglasses. He smiled more broadly, knowing I was
about to do as he asked. This wasn't like the night last week where he was
petting my hair and promising to take good care of me, or checking in
to make sure I felt safe. I felt wary and uncomfortable, my mind whirling with
"what-ifs" about being in public. Feeling my way around his bedroom
was a long way from eating a meal and not getting food all over myself. I
looked up at him again but there was no help there. He seemed to be enjoying my
discomfort.
I unfolded the
sunglasses and began to lift them towards my face when our
server appeared with our food. Yes!, I thought, saved by the food. The server set my chicken Alfredo in front of me and set
Brian's marinara near him. Our water glasses were topped off and pleasantries were
exchanged. The server left us to our dinner.
The open
sunglasses were still in my hands and Brian was meeting my eye. We both knew I
was going to put them on as he'd asked me to do, but there was no reason not to
take my time doing so. I took a few moments to make note of where my
wine glass was at 2 o'clock, the water at 10, the fork and napkin to
the left of my plate and my purse on the floor between my ankles. I
continued to engage him silently as I very slowly lifted the sunglasses, doing
my very best to tease him. I saw his expression shift slightly in eagerness as
I slid the frames onto my face but left them resting on my nose, holding
his gaze over the top of the frames like a disapproving librarian. His hazel
eyes looked pale gold in the sunlight and twinkled with anticipation.
Memorizing the look on his face my smile softened and I lifted the glasses to
cover my eyes.
My world
suddenly dark, I paused my movements to adjust for the sensation, or lack
thereof. I was more aware of my chair and my purse between my feet, the edge of
the table in front of me, the sea breeze. I could, of course, open my eyes
and peek out the bottoms of the blacked out frames, but
that would be cheating. I kept my eyes closed and relaxed, but I
needed some reassurance to know he was still there. I slid my hand palm up onto
the table past where I knew my wine glass would be and I felt
his warm hand envelop mine.
"Thank
you," I said quietly, all defiance gone.
"You're
welcome," he replied gently, squeezing my hand. "Now let's eat."
I managed to
get through the meal without spilling my wine or getting any food on my blouse.
I did tuck the napkin into the front of my shirt as a precaution, however.
Slow, precise, and planned movements were best. I made certain the water glass
was flat on the table before letting go of it and I worked across my
plate from left to right listening to the sound of my fork on the china as a
guide to where the bite of food was.
"Was
everything alright?" the server asked, startling me into dropping
my fork. I hadn't heard him approach as my concentration was on getting
the food from the plate to my mouth without having to use my fingers.
"Yes, it
was wonderful," Brian answered. "We'll take the check,
please."
I was
hoping Brian was going to take care of that, and he did. I folded
my napkin onto the table and felt for my glass of wine. Brian caught
my hand and put the glass into it for me.
"How
about we get out of here," Brian asked. Somehow I doubted I was going
to get my eyes back. I was right.
"Sure,"
I smiled, reaching for my purse and settling it across my shoulder.
He held my
left hand in his as he guided me out of my chair and onto my feet. He neatly
tucked my right hand escort style into the crook of his elbow. Luckily we were
able to leave the patio by a small gate and didn't have to work our way back
through the crowded restaurant. I wondered if he'd planned it that way.
"How
about a walk on the beach?" he asked.
"That
sounds wonderful," as I leaned my head into his shoulder.
I was wearing
lightweight but sturdy sandals. The soles were thin enough to feel when the
large rough stones of the mall's floor gave way to the flat concrete of the
sidewalk, and again as we stepped onto the asphalt walkway near the beach. A
couple times I could hear people walking past us and each time I grasped
Brian's elbow a little more firmly.
"So
what is this like for you," he asked me. I nodded in acknowledgment but
took a few moments to gather my thoughts. We were not yet on the sand but I
could tell by the smell in the air that we were close to the beach. The cooler
air also told me that the sun was going down although I could tell there
was still plenty of light.
"Well,"
I began, "I feel safer now." He chuckled softly. "Now
that we're away from the restaurant and most of the people. And now that
dinner is over I don't feel like my skills are on display."
"You did very
well," he praised. "I was quite impressed. That wasn't the first meal
you've eaten while blindfolded was it," he asked.
"No,"
I answered. "But it's been a while. I'm glad I did ok."
I smiled as I
turned my face towards him and was rewarded with a kiss. He stopped walking and
turned toward me, head bent. He slid one hand behind my head, the other around
my waist drawing me close. His tongue was light on my lips, questioning, and I
opened to his passionate kiss. He held me fiercely, his arms strong around me,
the urgency and tension built up over dinner finally released. I could feel his
hardness trapped between our bodies as he held us together. He wanted me to
know how aroused he was. I wanted to touch him, to unbutton his fly and pull
him out. I wanted him in my mouth. But we were still in a relatively public
place and I had no way of knowing if anyone was nearby. I settled for a
little hip wiggle to let him know I was thinking about his cock. I needed to
trust him and follow his lead. There would be time later, I hoped, as
we continued to walk.
"You're
enjoying yourself, though, you like this," he said, with a questioning
lift at the end of his statement. He knew he was right but he was looking for
confirmation.
"Oh
yes," I replied. "This is amazing! I've gotten to go on
walks before but it's been so long." I told him about an old boyfriend who
lived in a rural area. He would take me for a blindfolded walk late
at night down the middle of the road when there were no cars.
"But this is different, with the other people around, I mean.
It's a little scary not knowing who they are or how close they are."
He led me to
the edge of the beach and let me know I was about to step off of the firm
ground and into the sand. It took several steps for me to get
my rhythm. This was very different and a lot less predictable
for my feet. We walked for a few minutes more then we stopped at a bench
of some kind. He saw me settled then sat beside me still holding my hand. I
turned toward him.
"But this
is so much different, " I began. "It's you, you're what's different.
You want to be here, you want me like this." He squeezed my hand in
encouragement. "It's you that I'm most aware of right now. Your touch,
your scent." I could smell faint spaghetti, a whiff of
red wine, and under that his own maleness. "I can hear the lapping waves,
and I've been to this beach before so I know what it looks like, I know about
where the setting sun should be, but all of those things fade in my awareness.
It's you," I finished simply.
I reached out
my hand toward his face and he bent to set his cheek in my hand. He allowed me
to gently touch his face, his firm lips, and to run my fingers
through his hair. I made an effort not to leave fingerprints on his glasses. I
drew my hand across his broad shoulder and down his chest. I could feel his
chest hair compressed and crinkly beneath his shirt. As my hand drew lower he
caught it and lifted it to his lips.
"And I
want you," I stated. "Please."
He nodded, my
hand still held to his mouth.
"Let's
go."