RESERVATIONS FOR TWO
I was nervous about my date with Todd, I didn't know what to wear or what shoes I was going to rock. Shoes can definitely make or break an outfit, just ask Sex and the City's Carrie Bradshaw; besides Charlotte, Samantha, and Miranda, Carrie's best friends were Marc Jacobs, Jimmy Choo, and Manolo Blahnik.
In my opinion, a good piece of sexy footwear can make any woman look tantalizingly irresistible. On the night of my first date with Todd, I needed to be a one-woman smorgasbord.
I sat at my desk contemplating where I should meet Todd for drinks and dinner – he insisted that I pick the place, my favorite place, but the only problem was I had five favorite places.
That's part of the beauty and the challenge of Chicago; there are tons of great restaurants, so picking a favorite one was not the easiest task, at least for me. I finally narrowed my options and made the selection of Blackbird on West Randolph.
The ambience alone would make it the perfect place for our first date: it was cozy, simple, and very classy, not to mention their American style cuisine was exceptional.
I picked up the phone and made a reservation for two at 8pm, leaving enough time to run home to shower and change so I'd get there smelling good – and looking even better.
Simone poked her head in my office; she was on her way to lunch and wanted to know if she could pick up anything for me. I told her that I was eating light since I had a date. Intrigued, she entered my office.
"Date? Would this date be with that Mr. Wonderful you met the other day at the coffee shop?"
"That it would," I said, confirming with a huge smile.
"Oh, do tell, so where are you crazy kids going tonight?" Simone joked, flopping down on my office couch and kicking up her shoes.
Simone was wearing a fabulous pair of camel leather Jimmy Choo sandals with silver accents, from the new spring line. She's is not one to be caught in an old pair of any style shoe, and by old I mean last season. If Simone could find the real Jimmy Choo, she would have his baby, just to guarantee a monthly supply of footwear – not to mention a lifetime of bragging rights.
"I just made reservations at Blackbird," I said.
"Trey nice," Simone replied as she made herself even more comfortable on my couch. "So what are you wearing?"
"Now that, my dear, is the $64,000 question."
"Well, of course, you have to start with the shoes," Simone offered.
"I know, that's why on my way in this morning I stopped over at Bloomie's and picked up these beauties."
I pulled out my new Marc Jacobs shoes, metallic gold leather with a slender, black four-inch heel. Simone sat up at attention, looking ready to salute my new addition to the family,
as I pulled out the left shoe and swung it around my index finger by the strap, as the scent of new leather wafted through my office. "You like?"
"I like a lot," Simone gushed as she stood up to get a closer view.
She grabbed the right shoe from the box and examined it from all angles. "You have really outdone yourself with these," she said.
"You damn right I did, $580 bucks' worth, but well worth it."
"One look at these," Simone intoned, "and I guarantee he'll skip dinner and drinks and go straight for dessert – which is you, of course."
"That would be lovely, but there will be no sex to be had on the first date," I added quickly.
