Tainted Love

Blind Date III

The Blind Date Part III

Mother Nature provided her own romantic music for them. The crickets could be heard in the background. The bees were buzzing. The hummingbirds were humming. The frogs were croaking, along with the owl's 'who.' There was a cool breeze in the air, on that hot summer's evening. The sun had begun to leave its footprints across the sky. It was enchanting. He looked into her eyes.

What has she done to me? I haven't been able to get her off my mind. She's nothing like the women I'm used to dating. Niyah's smart, funny and beautiful, he thought. She's the type of woman I need in my life.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to stare. You're so beautiful. I must've fallen into a trance. Do you have this effect on every man?" He laughed.

"Don't know." She looked away.

Allen rowed beside the raft, got out, and helped her on. The raft was covered in a purple velvet fabric. Big fluffy pillows of all colors and shapes covered one end. A big wicker basket sat in the middle of the raft.

"I wanted to do something extraordinary." They had a seat on the pillows. "This is definitely out of the box for me. I can't say that I've ever been on a candlelight dinner in the middle of a lake. Oh, I almost forgot." He pulled out his iPhone and placed it on a Dock Speaker System. "We have to have some music."

She sat back and watched him do his thing. He set up the most romantic date she had ever been on. They were in the middle of this captivating forest. It was right out of a fairytale.

"These are some of my favorite songs - some old and some new stuff. Like the Isley Brothers Between the Sheets." He pressed play. Brian McKnight's Anytime started to play. "Some Earth, Wind, and Fire, Pattie Labelle. The list goes on and on."

"That's my song! I heard all those songs growing up. They're some of my favorite singers."

"You're going to love this," he told her, as he started to take out plastic containers of food. "I have Sade, some new stuff by Mary. J Blige, Jagged Edge. If you want, I can make you a CD."

"I'd like that. Thank you. I find it hard to believe some woman hasn't sunk her claws in you."

"Well, maybe this one will." He looked her right in the eye. "I cooked fried chicken, potato salad, collard greens with some baked beans, and coleslaw. You're so special, that I even made biscuits. For dessert, I baked a sweet potato pie. We can have that with some ice cream."

"You cooked all of this food?" she asked, with a big smile on her face.

"Emonie said these were some of your favorites."

"They are. I'm shocked to learn that you cooked all of this. Not to mention the things you cooked. I had you pegged as more of the caviar type."

He smiled at her as he pulled out a bottle of champagne and two long-stemmed wine glasses.

"Niyah, my family wasn't always rich." He poured their wine and fixed their plates.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean..."

"You don't have to apologize. I'm pulling your leg,

Niyah. Lighten up." He smiled. "I spent some time at the best culinary school in Europe."

"All I know about you and your family is what I see on TV. All the things they say about you can't be true."

"It's not. Some people make their living by talking about the latest Yoba scandal." He took a deep breath. "That's how they sell their papers and get people to watch their shows. When the truth doesn't sell, they make up lies. I don't ever recall seeing one of those shows or papers reporting how we donate to different charities or how our firm does pro bono cases."