Nothing Like the First Time (14 page)

“Okay I’ll go and make sure the sugar dispensers are full and wait for her.”

“Thanks, Carly,” he replied with a large smile.

I made my way out into the restaurant and set about some of the smaller tasks that would bore Kenya. At 9
a.m. I unlocked the doors and waited for the usual morning patrons to arrive. Kenya was just pulling up as I set the sign to ‘Open.’ She walked in with a big smile on her gorgeous face. Skin like chocolate and eyes of the most amazing green, she was every inch the kind of woman our male patrons would go goo-goo for. Now we just had to see what her manner was like and if she could do her job worth a damn.

“Morning, you must be Carly,” she said as she held her hand out for me to shake.

“And you must be Kenya.” I smiled and shook hands with her.

I let her into Jim’s and showed her to the back office to put her things away and grab an apron.
I showed her where the staff break room was and told her about the staff we had. She said she’d already met Jason a couple of nights ago.

“Yeah
, we really hit it off, ya know?” she said, totally at ease in her surroundings. I was beginning to like her already.

“Jason’s a good guy. Handsome
, too!” I remarked.

“Oh he’s a mighty fine specimen
, all right. Don’t hurt none that his ass is super cute, too!”

I laughed a real belly laugh at that and she joined in. I began to show her the ropes as our regulars trickled in.

My shift seemed to pass by quickly as Kenya made everything so much more fun. Soon it was time to clock out and go home to my man. I made my way to the office and knocked in case Jim was busy.

“Come in,” he called from the other side of the door.

I walked in, took my apron off, and put it in my locker as I retrieved my purse.

“So how did it go?” Jim asked.

“She’s a really nice girl. She works hard but she makes everything so much more fun.”

“Good to know
.” He smiled in that way of his.

“Yeah, she should fit right in. Now, if you don’t need me any further, I’m off home to my man.”

“You go home to Grey, hun, we have things covered here.”

“See you tomorrow
,” I said as I turned on my heel to leave.

I drove home with my music on quite loudly. I loved blasting my tunes on such a beautiful day. As I pulled up at the house, I noticed Grey’s car was missing. Trying not to be too disappointed, I walked up to the house and let myself in.

Millie came to greet me and I gave her some fuss before putting some coffee on. I opened my mail and busied myself tidying up the living room before hearing my phone ring. I fished it out of my pocket and saw Jodie’s picture on the screen.

“Hey!” I greeted.

“Hey girl, you busy?” she asked in a happy tone.

“Not really. I just finished work and was hoping to come home to Grey
, but he’s gone, so I’m just having a coffee and thinking about which book to start reading.”

“Well
, forget trashy romance novels and get your butt round here, I have exciting news.”

“You can’t tell me that and not spill straight away!”

“Oh yes, I can, see you at my place shortly!” she said before hanging up. The cheek of that girl sometimes.

I went upstairs to change out of my work clothes and found a note on my vanity.

Carls, had to go run some errands. See you tonight. 8
p.m. Wear something nice like that slinky blue dress. Love you. G xx

I smiled and pulled the blue dress he was talking about out of my wardrobe. Jodie had given it to me a couple of weeks ago, claiming she’d bought it on sale but on reflection thought it would suit me better.

I got changed and went downstairs to grab my purse before heading out the door to make my way to
Jodie’s place. It was a little apartment across town. Her father had bought it for her 21
st
birthday.

I parked outside and made my way to the door. Before I even knocked, the door was thrown open and
Jodie was pulling me inside.

“Couldn’t you get here any faster?” she asked and smiled.

“Nope, sorry. I had to get out of my work clothes. You’re lucky I skipped my shower otherwise I would’ve been longer.”

“Don’t you care about my news?”

“News?” I played dumb as I saw she was desperate to spill.

She punched me lightly on the arm and dragged me into the kitchen. The coffee pot was on and two cups were already set out. I sat at the kitchen island and waited for her to pour the drinks. She turned to me, cup in hand and sat down opposite me.

“I’m moving in with Matt!” she blurted, unable to contain it any longer.

“Wow! So it’s really serious?”

“It sure is, Carly. I am so in love with him.”

“I’m so happy for you.” I really was but was a little envious at the same time. Grey and I had been dating for a while now and he still lived at his mother
’s, even though he spent most of his time at my place.

“I couldn’t be happier. We’re packing my stuff up and moving it this week
.”

“That’s great. I’m so pleased you found someone who’s truly worthy of you
, Jodie. You’re an amazing woman and you deserve the best.”

We spent a little while chatting before Matt called and told her he was on his way. I made my excuses, kissed her goodbye
, and left. I wanted to get home and grab a shower before Grey came by.

I pulled up at home to find a bouquet of purple calla lilies on my doorstep. I smiled to myself, knowing who they were from without even reading the card. I got out of the car and picked up the flowers as I unlocked the front door. I set the flowers on the kitchen island while I found a vase and filled it with water and a little sugar to keep the flowers at their best for longer. I read the card which simply said:

Thinking of you. G xx

Once the flowers were in my
living room, I went upstairs for a shower.

***

Fresh from the shower, I dried myself before doing my makeup and hair. I slipped into the blue dress and found my silver shoes and clutch that I thought looked cute with it. Lastly, I sprayed my favorite perfume, Vera Wang’s ‘Princess.’

Once downstairs, I was just slipping my feet into the silver kitten heels when the doorbell
rang. I answered the door, thinking it was odd that Grey didn’t just use the spare key I had given him. On the doorstep stood man in a black suit—he held a blue and white corsage out to me and stepped aside for me to see the black limousine I would be riding in. It was a good job I was always ready early.

The man in the suit introduced himself as Jon and held his arm out for me to take to walk down
my steps. I turned and locked the door before taking his offered arm and walking to the awaiting car. I held my purse under the other arm and the corsage box in my hand. Jon held the door open and waited until I was seated to close the door for me. On the seat beside me, I found a note bearing my name in Grey’s cursive script. I smiled to myself and opened the note, my heart thumping a little in anticipation.

Carls, open the champagne and have a glass. You have a long journey ahead of you though, so don’t drink too much because we both know what you’re like when the bubbles go to your head. See you in about half an hour. G xx

I saw the champagne and a flute in an ice bucket in the back of the limo. I poured myself a glass and then opened the corsage box. I took a closer look at the flowers, they were beautiful blue and white orchids. I slowly sipped my champagne, determined to only have one glass.

As we
arrived at our destination, I saw a quaint looking little cottage with fairy lights strung all around. It was 8 p.m. on the dot. A handsome figure approached from the doorway of the cottage as Jon opened my door and held out his hand to help me.

Grey stood still at the bottom of the path and waited for me to exit the car.
He was illuminated by the fairy lights and I saw he was wearing a pair of black slacks along with a blue shirt that matched my dress.

I walked towards my handsome boyfriend and was greeted with a soft kiss
. The glint in his eyes said he liked what he saw before he even opened his mouth.

“You look divine, as I knew you would.”

I heard Jon pull away from the cottage and Grey offered his arm.

“Thank you. I’m pleased you like the dress.”

“Oh I do. But I love the woman in it more and I can’t wait to see the dress on the bedroom floor.”

I felt the blood rush to my cheeks and saw Grey’s smile at seeing me blush.

We made our way to the front door of the cottage. I saw even more fairy lights strung around the doorway.

“This all looks so beautiful
, Grey.”

“I’m glad you approve,” he said as he showed me inside.

The cottage actually turned out to be bigger on the inside than I had first believed. It was beautifully decorated, and when we entered the living room, I saw a lovely little inglenook fireplace with a fire burning. I took my heels off and walked around inside, Grey just walking silently hand in hand with me. He wouldn’t let me go upstairs, promising that the time would come for that later.

We walked into the dining room and the table was set for two with candles and a beautiful flower
arrangement. No wonder I had smelled some gorgeous aromas in the kitchen, Grey was cooking.

After pouring us both a glass of wine, Grey went to the kitchen to check on the food
. Not wanting to get in the way, I stayed where I was and drank some of my wine. It was simply delicious. I wanted to drink more but on an empty stomach, it wouldn’t be wise, especially considering my earlier glass of champagne.

Grey walked back into the room a few minutes later with two plates in his hands. He placed mine in front of me and then sat down opposite me. From nowhere, I heard a song start to play. It was
“Blue Dress” by Depeche Mode. I found it a little amusing that I was told in Grey’s earlier note to wear the blue dress and I wondered what he would’ve done if I hadn’t worn it. Grey seemed to pick up on my amusement.

“Something funny?”

“I was just wondering what you would’ve done if I hadn’t worn this dress.”

“I don’t actually know because I had this song picked out especially
.” He chuckled.

“This food smells divine,” I said, changing the subject.

“Thank you, I’ve been cooking for the last couple of hours. It’s why I left your place not long after you left for work. I wanted to get to the market early to get the freshest pick of the ingredients.”

“Well
, I can’t wait to eat.” My tummy rumbled, punctuating what I said.

“What are you waiting for? Tuck in.”

I did as he suggested and the first bite had my taste buds tantalized. I was trying not to eat too quickly and not to get any on my beautiful dress.

We made small talk while we ate and I told him about Kenya and her crush on Jason. He found that funny. He knew as well as I did what Jason was like when it came to women, we’d all gone to school together
, after all. But then you can’t judge a person by the choices they make as younger versions of themselves—Grey and I were proof of that.

Grey cleared the plates and told me to stay seated so he could bring dessert through.

“For madam’s delight, tonight we have lemon cheesecake and double cream.”

“Is this home
-made, too?” I couldn’t help asking.

“Actually
, yes. I rang Aunt Lizzie and she talked me through some options for dessert as I didn’t want anything too messy and my cake making skills aren’t like yours. Cheesecake seemed an easier thing to make.”

“It looks fabulous,” I said before taking my
first bite.

I finished before Grey did and he looked pleased that I had enjoyed it.

Again, he wouldn’t let me help clear the plates. I sat in my seat listening to the music that was playing more quietly now in the background. I realized I could hear Grey singing along in the kitchen and I smiled at the image my mind conjured. 

Upon his return to the dining room, Grey poured us both another glass of wine. He took my hand and led me to the
living room. It was lovely and warm thanks to the fire that still glowed in the inglenook. We sat in front of the fireplace on a soft cream colored rug. The room was tastefully decorated and had some lovely ornaments and paintings dotted around. I asked Grey to put my corsage in the fridge to keep it from wilting in the heat. He did so and then joined me back on the rug. We sat drinking our wine and Grey wrapped his legs round me from behind. I nuzzled into his warmth, craving his more than the fire.

A short while later, I was dozing in Grey’s embrace when he called my name softly. I looked up to see him smile so broadly at me. I was instantly awake.