Sparks

Chapter 5

Five

"Right, where were we? Ah, yes, do I think you'd be happy giving up control?" He sliced one of his juicy scallops in half and speared it with his fork. Melted butter dribbled onto his plate as he raised the morsel to his mouth. I found myself watching in fascination as he chewed. When I realised what I was doing, I subsequently wanted to slap myself, but how can you war with your own hormones? I was a mess.

"I'm going to rely on my intuition for this one, I think," he continued, unaware of the inner struggle I was having. "I don't think you'll be happy giving up control. I suspect you might even be a control freak and have your life ordered out to the smallest detail, but that's not what you asked, is it?" He finished his mouthful, and his words had just about registered in the haze of pheromones that surrounded me, jolting me to my core because he had pegged me with frightening precision. "But yes, I think you'll find the relief you seek. In body more than mind, perhaps."

And what the hell did that mean? Too stunned to speak, I swirled my spoon around in the bowl of miso soup before me. Clouds of fish stock began swimming around, and little slivers of seaweed stuck to my spoon. Bringing up a mouthful to my lips, I tasted it tentatively. I was surprised to find that it was actually quite refreshing, and it wasn't long before all thoughts of talking left me. We didn't say another word to each other until we'd cleaned our plates dry.

Upon finishing his starter, James took a long sip of the Sancerre and sighed in contentment. I concurred with his opinion of the wine. It was the perfect accompaniment to seafood, bone dry and deliciously aromatic. I would have to be very careful not to guzzle too many glasses. Having my tongue loose and wagging around this man would be exceptionally foolish.

"Any more questions, Lois? Or are we going to talk about knitting and babies for the rest of the evening?" He eyed me with a smirk.

Choking on my wine, it annoyed me to see he thought himself thoroughly amusing. It appeared he'd caught me checking him out. Sighing, I decided I'd need to be more discreet in the future. His ego would spontaneously combust in a few seconds if I wasn't. "I usually like to get to know someone a couple of weeks before I think about having babies, but I'm game if you are." I winked at him. It should have wiped the smirk off his face instantly, but instead, it just got wider. Taking a deep breath, I ploughed on, "As to the knitting needles, you'll have a better chance at improving your life expectancy if I don't have any." I lavished an icy stare upon him, which had absolutely no effect whatsoever.

"I can picture you with a set of knitting needles, you know. Not actually knitting but fending off all the annoying males that might make the mistake of entering your world. You are a prickly one, Ms. Reeves. I bet you haven't managed too many long-term relationships in your past."

"I don't need knitting needles to defend myself," I replied. "I can do enough damage with my hands and feet." I picked up my black, Chinese lacquered bowl of soup and drank the remains. I didn't particularly care if it offended the ogre opposite me.

"That I don't doubt," he replied. "And the long-term relationships? Managed any?" He slowly wiped an imaginary spot of food from his lips. My eyes found themselves entranced, and all of a sudden I could picture myself kissing him. What the hell? This was so unlike me, I nearly dissolved into a fit of hysterics. It looked like I was about to have my first crush, and the guy across from me was an absolute animal.

"You've had your question time," I replied with saccharine sweetness. Wondering if two could play his game, I ran my tongue across my bottom lip to see if he was similarly affected. Sure enough, his eyes dropped, and it was several seconds before he realised I had asked another question.