Chapter 7: Chapter 7

SHAY

~SUNDAY, MAY 22~

After Ian dropped her off at her apartment, she’d decided to get some work done before getting ready for her date. She hadn’t gone on a first date in a long time—her last one was when she was fifteen, with her first boyfriend.

She remembered what a disaster that date had been. They were both nervous, and he’d actually gotten sick from the nerves. Half an hour into the date and he was puking his guts out while she took care of him.

It didn’t help that when he’d picked her up for the date, her father had “a chat” with him, explaining all the ways he could die without raising suspicion. Although she knew her father was only joking, her ex took it seriously.

He was two years older than she was—the captain of the baseball team—and her brothers had scared him half to death before he even asked her out. And then her father threatened to murder him.

Safe to say her first date was a complete disaster.

But somehow their relationship had survived. She’d dated him for close to a year before he cheated on her.

He slept with one of his friends, and Sky found out. Shay broke it off, and had been a bit reserved when it came to dating ever since.

Pete was a different story. She’d known Pete ever since she could remember, and their relationship progressed very naturally—from lingering touches and stares to a relationship—as they spent more time together.

As she sat in her living room, ready for the date, she had to admit she was nervous.

Her hair had been washed and curled, and wanting to be as natural as possible, she was only wearing mascara and lip balm. He’d told her to dress comfortably, and that was what she did.

The white dress she chose was sleeveless with an almost bare back—only a few strings held the dress together—and stopped at midthigh.

Her leather jacket beside her, she went through her messages as she waited, replying to whichever were work related.

~Ding-dong.~

Scrunching up her face, she wondered who it could be. Ethan would have let her know when he was on the way, and they’d agreed on picking her up in front of her building.

She put away her phone and made her way to the front door.

Swinging it open, her eyes widened in surprise as a smile spread across her face. “Hey, you’re early,” she said as Ethan handed her a bouquet of peonies.

“I wanted to make sure you didn’t back out, but I’m glad to see that you’re ready.” He leaned down and kissed her cheek.

She opened the door wider to allow him in as she sniffed the wonderful scent of the flowers.

“Let me get my jacket and we can leave.” Feeling his eyes on her, she turned back to look at him. He was ogling her openly, and she giggled in response.

“You look amazing,” he said.

Blushing, she reached forward and grabbed her jacket, placing it over her shoulders carefully before slinging her bag over her shoulder and taking out her access card.

“Where are we going?” she asked, staring up at him. He was wearing a button-down shirt with khakis and looked handsome. She preferred him dressed down like this to the suits she’d seen him in a few times.

“We can stay here if you want,” he joked, waggling his eyebrows.

She smacked his chest lightly, rolling her eyes, then led him out of her apartment and closed the door behind her. She turned to him as they waited for the elevator.

“Where are we going though?” she asked again.

“We’re getting dinner,” he answered vaguely as they stepped into the elevator.

She decided to drop the subject and enjoy the date rather than control what was going on.

The ride in the elevator was quiet, the air thick as her heart sped up from being so close to him. She wondered if he felt it too.

~Ding.~

When Ethan placed his hand on her lower back to guide her out of the elevator, she felt goosebumps rise on her skin. She walked beside him as they passed through the lobby, smiling at the doorman.

Once outside, she looked around but didn’t spot his car. She turned to Ethan and raised an eyebrow.

When he climbed on a superbike, her eyes widened—and he smirked.

“Where’s your car?” she asked.

“Today we’ll take my bike,” he said, holding out a helmet. “It’s easier to get through traffic.”

She stared at it, feeling nervous. She’d never even sat on a motorcycle before. Her father always said it was too dangerous, and she agreed—it did look dangerous.

But, throwing caution to the wind, she pushed her fears aside and grabbed the helmet from him.

She walked closer to him so he could help her into the heavy helmet. The visor was still up, but it instantly blocked some of the sounds of the traffic as it hugged her head.

She eyed the bike nervously. “I’m scared. I’ve never been on one before,” she confessed.

“Trust me, I won’t let anything happen to you,” he assured her.

“My brothers will kill you if anything happens to me,” she said before attempting to climb on.

He just chuckled in response.

“Step on that, then swing your other leg over,” he instructed, pointing to a metal thing sticking out of the side.

She placed a hand on his shoulder to support herself before doing as she was told, stepping on the metal piece before swinging her leg over, taking care not to flash to the world.

Her legs straddling the body of the bike, she could feel the leather seat underneath her.

Ethan turned his head to look at her as he placed his own helmet on. “Tuck your dress in, and make sure you’re sitting on it. I don’t want other people getting a peek of you.”

Blushing, she adjusted her dress a little.

“You can wrap your arms around my waist or hold the sides, whichever is more comfortable for you,” he said.

“I trust you not to kill me,” she joked as she wrapped her arms around his waist. Even leaning her entire front against his back, her fingers barely touched.

Chuckling, he reached back and closed her visor before doing the same to his own. “I’ll take you around the city on the bike, then we’ll go to dinner,” he said, loud enough for her to hear as he started the bike.

Feeling the beast come to life, she tightened her grip around him, and the bike started to move.

She was quickly filled with adrenaline. The ride was fast, faster than she expected, as she watched the buildings fly by and the city lights flicker. Laughing, she loosened her grip on his waist, enjoying the high.

Ethan laughed along with her as he rode. The wind blew against them as the sun set, and the city became increasingly beautiful.

He stopped at a familiar building, and she got off the bike and looked up at it, smiling widely. She removed her helmet, shaking her head and allowing her hair to reset, then passed it to him.

“Blind Taste?” she asked.

“Have you been?”

She shook her head as she stared at the well-lit sign.

“Tonight we won’t be relying on our looks. I want to get to know you in the dark. Away from social norms, away from the temptation to stare at you. I want us to get to know each other with just our voices—and the food we eat.”

She was impressed by his choice of first date. “You surprise me, Mr. Ramsay,” she said as he climbed off the bike.

Smirking, he leaned down and said, “I’m full of surprises.” She could feel his breath on her ear. “You just have to give me a chance.”

Goosebumps rose on her skin, and she nodded as he guided her toward the doors.

When they entered, she noticed the restaurant was dimly lit. They could still see one another, though. As Ethan spoke to the maître d’, his hand still on her back, she took in the surroundings. She could hear whispering.

“I hope you like the menu I’ve picked,” Ethan said quietly in her ear.

As they followed the maître d’, Shay’s eyes wandered to the guests. They were all blindfolded, their food in front of them.

The maître d’ led them to a private room in the back with a bench and a table. The lights were as dim here as in the rest of the restaurant.

As she was removing her leather jacket, she spotted a sink just for the room and went over to wash her hands. Ethan stood behind her as she did, waiting for his turn.

“Please put on your blindfold,” the maître d’ instructed, “and we may begin. For sanitary reasons, all blindfolds are new and one-time use only.

“You may take it home with you if you want. If not, you may dispose of it in the bin after you’re done.”

Shay dried her hands with the towels provided and then took a seat on the bench. She placed her phone on silent, not wanting to be interrupted.

“Do you bring all your conquests here?” she asked Ethan when he sat beside her.

“Do you think I have a lot of conquests?” he asked in return, pretending to be hurt.

She chuckled. “I think you’re a very capable man, and I think you know how to woo a girl.”

“I haven’t been here before, but my friend owns this place,” he answered. “And I don’t usually date. I only ask someone out if I want something more than a one-night stand.”

Nodding her head slowly, she took in what he said.

He grabbed a blindfold. “Here.”

Turning her back to him, she helped him position the blindfold over her eyes as he tightened the fabric around her head. Everything turned black, and her heart sped up. She felt nervous and excited all at the same time.

Hearing footsteps, she scooted closer to Ethan. She didn’t want to admit that she was afraid of the dark, but sensing her fear, he wrapped one arm around her, loosely draping it around her waist. She felt comfortable in his arms.

She noticed the smell of food.

“We have just placed your food in front of both of you,” she heard the waiter announce. “Everything is bite-size to avoid choking and the need to cut it smaller.

“The first row is your mushroom and scallop appetizers, the second row is the smoked duck confit, and the third is sea bass. The desserts will be served after you’re done with your main courses.

“You may use the cutlery on the table or your hands, and if you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ring the button at the corner of the table.”

“Thank you,” Shay said as the footsteps moved away from them.

“Which are you more comfortable using?” Ethan asked after he removed his hand from her waist.

“Don’t judge me, but hands,” she confessed.

She heard him chuckle quietly under his breath, and she smiled.

“I’ll be using my hands too,” he said.

She hummed to herself as she carefully reached forward and touched the plate, slowly moving her hands, feeling for different textures with the tips of her fingers.

“I think I found a scallop,” she announced.

“Yeah, same,” he answered.

Carefully picking it up, she placed the small cube in her mouth. With her sight taken away, her other senses were heightened.

“Oh my god,” she moaned.

“Okay, this was a bad idea,” she heard Ethan groan.

“Why?”

“Every time you moan, I’ll get a boner. And we’re in a dark place.”

Her heart fluttered, happy that she had that effect on him.

She reached for her next piece, feeling bolder for some reason. As she held the scallop in her fingers, she straightened her back and used her other hand to feel her way.

She touched Ethan’s chest, feeling the material of his shirt, before traveling up. When she felt his stubbly chin, she knew he was turning to her, wondering what she was up to.

Her fingers grazed his lower lip as she brought her other hand closer to his mouth.

“Open,” she said, almost in a whisper.

He did as she asked, and she placed the scallop between his lips.

Her fingers entered his mouth just a little, and she felt his soft lips against them. Gulping, she squeezed her thighs together.

Bringing her fingers to her own mouth, she sucked her fingers, tasting the food. She smiled. Biting her lower lip, she lifted the blindfold just a little to take a peek at his reaction.

His blindfold was completely off. And he was staring at her intently, his eyes dark.

Blushing, she removed her own. “Aren’t we supposed to be wearing these?” When he didn’t say anything, she put her blindfold on the table.

As she stared at him, he picked up a piece of the duck confit and brought it to her lips. She opened her mouth slowly, and he placed the food between her lips.

Chewing the food slowly, her eyes rolled back as she moaned. It wasn’t on purpose—it was just her natural reaction to things. Shay was a sexual person after all.

His fingers grazed her lips as he stared at her. “I don’t know if I can make it through the night,” he confessed, his voice cracking at the end.

“Why?” she asked as she wiped the corners of her mouth.

He shook his head. “I find it hard to believe…”

She stared at him in confusion. “What?”

“I find it hard to believe you’re a virgin.” His eyes were filled with lust, and from the corner of her eyes she could already see…~him~.

“Like I said…” She smirked, then leaned in to his ear. “I’m a virgin, but I’m not a prude or a saint.” She could hear his breath hitch as she pulled away. She was loving the effect she had on him.

“I think we should finish up,” she said. “Then end the night early. Or we can reschedule this date. Something less sexual.”

He groaned and tilted his head back. “I fucking need a cold shower.”