Whatever It Takes

It's On

The waiters came out with the first course, setting it in front of us. My hand was locked around Dovey's thigh, right under her dress. I would watch her as she talked, occasionally squeezing her to throw her off. She would turn bright red, stumbling over her words and trying to focus herself. It felt good to know that I could throw her off like that. I smiled at her as she glared daggers at me, and I took a bite of the salad in front of me.

"You okay, Birdie?" I asked, tracing soft designs on the inside of her thigh. Her mouth twisted.

"I-I'm fine, Eddie," she seethed. I smiled brightly at her, still unbelieving that she was letting me touch her like this. I leaned close to her ear.

"You seem a little flustered," I teased. She tried to force down a smile and nudged me with her shoulder as she started on her salad.

"You seem like a giant asshole," she shot back, making me laugh.

I watched her for a beat, just taking her in. She looked up at me, doing a double take when she noticed me staring. She tucked a curl behind her ear, and I saw the faint hickey on her neck again.

"What?" she asked, looking down. I leaned in again.

"I just want you to know that I would kiss you right now if I wasn't such a coward," I whispered. Her smile grew, and she nudged me with her shoulder.

"Stop," she warned. I smiled and leaned closer.

"I would – I can't believe how long it's been since I've kissed you properly," I continued. She looked up at me, raising her eyebrow and giving me a withering look.

"You went ten years without kissing me, you can handle an hour or two," she quipped, tossing her curls back. I moved my hand up her thigh, tracing more designs, and she immediately tensed, sucking in air between her teeth.

"Can you?" I asked lowly.

She turned an even darker shade of red and turned to me, biting the inside of her mouth. I grinned wider, softly scratching her thigh.

"I-I'll be f-fine," she insisted. I continued to eat my salad, occasionally squeezing her thigh as she took bites.

She got through her salad, not without me distracting her every chance I got. She turned to me, smirking, and set her hand high on my thigh, making my heart stop. She leaned on me, using me to help her stand, and got close to my face, her curls falling over her shoulders and brushing against me. My heart was racing as she reached up and ran her hand through her hair. I swear for a moment, I thought she was going to kiss me. She looked at my lips, and then into my eyes. My mouth was dry.

"Want something to drink?" she asked breathily.

Without waiting for my answer, she sauntered off, leaving me flustered and overwhelmed. I looked around, wondering if anyone was noticing our give and take tonight. Everyone was unaware, caught up in their own conversations. I felt my heart still racing, and I tried to calm myself down.

My efforts were immediately thwarted when she returned, setting a drink in front of me, and then placed her hand on my shoulder. She ran it along my back, her touch light and soft as she sat next to me. Her hand was still on my back, and she flitted it up the back of my neck. She ran her hand through my hair, and I was convinced there was a spotlight on us from how hot my face was. How was no one noticing us? She leaned close to my ear.

"I thought you might like a gin and tonic," she whispered.

She sat back in her chair, grinning at me maniacally as she crossed her legs and took a sip of her drink. I smiled at her, unbelieving of how quickly she had turned things on me. She winked at me.