My White Ex Soldier

“I hope you loved the restaurant. I don’t do fine dining often,” Taylor said with a smile. She laughed and shook her head.

“It was perfect,” she said looking at him.

“Thank God. Because normally a plate of greasy ribs and a cold beer does it for me,” he said with a smile.

“Maybe we should do that next time,” Desiree said looking back at him. She saw a smile play on his lips when she said that.

“So there will definitely be a next time?” Taylor asked. Desiree leaned forward and gave him a wink.

“Oh yeah,” she said in a low voice, almost a whisper. Taylor smiled and reached for her hand. There was some chemistry between them. She could not really understand it now but then again, maybe it was too early to begin understanding things. She could very well be rushing things. They were still looking into each other’s eyes, making small talk when the waiter walked up to them. 

“Would you like to have a dessert menu?” he asked with a smile. Taylor looked at Desiree and drew small circles on the back of her hand and then shook his head.

“No. We’ll just have the check, thank you,” he said as the waiter walked away.

“I may have wanted to try their soufflé,” Desiree said.

“I can make you some after we work up an appetite,” Taylor said quickly. Desiree felt herself blush.

“You bake?” she asked surprised. He nodded.

“I cook and I bake. Being in the kitchen relaxes me more than you know,” he said looking at her.

“You should make me some cake one of these days. I love red velvet. Can you do that?” she asked looking at him. He smiled and looked at her.

“Just tell me when and I am your pastry chef for the asking,” he said as the waiter brought their bill. He let her hand go and reached to his back pocket for his wallet. He took out a few bills and placed them on the table.

“I thought I would chip in,” she said looking at him. He shook his head.

“I asked you out. You want to pay or chip in as you put it, not today,” he said with a smile. “Shall we go?” he asked standing up. He walked around the table to where she was and pulled her chair out. Once they were out, she could feel the evening cold getting to her. Taylor noticed her shivering and draped his jacket on her shoulders as they got in the cab. “So where to? Shall I take you home?” he asked looking at her. She smiled and shook her head.

“I think I’d like to see your place,” she said smiling shyly. Taylor smiled and said something to the driver before they drove off. This time, her silence was due to her being a bit tipsy. The wine was definitely taking its toll. They did not ride for long before getting to his place: a small house a few blocks from her place.

When she walked in, the house was not what she expected. It was neatly arranged…a bit too neat, almost as if he had a cleaning lady come in every so often. “Do you clean all by yourself?” she asked and turned to look at him. “Because I think there’s a tiny Asian lady you pay for her service,” she said as she walked into the living room. It was tastefully furnished though she could see a few things that seemed a bit vintage. Those were probably the things he could not let go of.

“That sounded dirty,” he said softly. He was leaning against one wall in the living room as she walked around the living room.

“How big is the place?” she asked.

“Two bedrooms and a garage. Nothing fancy really,” he said looking at her. She smiled and looked at him.

“Can I see your room?” she asked in a low voice. He smiled and nodded.

“This way,” he said leading her down the hallway to a room at the far left corner. “Here,” he said opening the door. She smiled and walked in. The bed was perfectly made, probably something he learned while in the military. She turned around and took off her shoes before dropping his jacket to the floor. She then reached around her back and slowly pulled down her zipper. She could see him getting uncomfortable as she did. Standing in front of him in nothing but her underwear made him feel vulnerable even though it should have been the other way around. He quickly got undressed until he had nothing on but his boxer shorts.

As he walked towards her, she could feel her heart rate rising.

He slowly slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her close to him, so close she could feel his breath on her cheek.

She had a lot of questions regarding her and Taylor. Questions that would enable her to understand this relationship…or whatever it was. But this was not the time for questions. She smiled as he cradled her. She would ask anything she wanted to ask later on. Right now, all she had to do was enjoy this.