A Chance Encounter (closed for Aussie_Wolf)

Whoops he had almost forgotten about them. Blushing a little he reached into his pocket and handed them to her and if his hand happened to linger a little as he did, well that could have just been because he fumbled them a little right?

He watched her walk out and all the way to her car and then gave her a small wave as she drove off, then started to breathe normally again. A date! He had a date! Him, and on Saturday. Heck that only gave him two days to get ready.

First things first. He hastily looked up the number of Gauchos and made a booking for 2 on Saturday at 7. He was actually lucky there was just the 2 of them and they could be squeezed in. Next he thought about other things he would have to do. Was his good suit clean, how about his shoes. He would have to bring flowers of course or didn't people do that anymore?

He started to panic a little and then realized if he was doing this now what was he going to be like on the night. Sighing he calmed himself down and sat down. He needed to just let Saturday work itself out and concentrate on work. Besides he was a man down and he was going to be busy for the next few days anyway.

Just then the phone rang and he slipped back into work mode.

Danae pulled back into the parking lot at work just before one o'clock. She’d already stopped in at Oporto’s to grab a quick Chicken Embrulho and called to make an appointment at the spa for a massage and a pedi-mani on Saturday morning.

She spent the rest of her afternoon at her desk setting up appointments to prepare witnesses for their testimonies and doing paperwork for filing at the courthouse the next morning. With all the activity that was the norm at work, there wasn’t time to stop and think about her date Saturday night, not until she was back in her car and driving home.

Pulling up to a stop light, she glanced over to her left and saw a little shop that she’d always wanted to check out. Impulsively, she made her way back around the block to find a packing space in front and went in to look around.

I know I have things in the closet at home…I just want to see what they have here. Doesn’t hurt to look, right? She told herself as she walked through the doors and was met by a young lady who introduced herself as Zoe. Two hours later, Danae was leaving the store with a dress bag as well as some other purchases that she put neatly into the back of her car before getting in and heading for home once again.

Turning up the radio as she drove, she wondered if she had done the right thing getting something special for Saturday, then she chided herself for having the thought. This was the first date that she’d had in years, and she deserved to feel special when she did it! It was time that she put Michael in the past where he belonged, and enjoyed herself with the handsome man who seemed to have a great personality.

Thinking of Troy made her smile. She really couldn’t wait to see him again. He had a way of making her feel that she was the only one who had his attention. The way he didn’t rattle off that he was the boss right away, and how he helped that guy, Danny, out with his family said a lot about him. Troy wasn't the kind of guy who sought out attention; he seemed to be the one who actually liked other people and cared about them. She was going to enjoy getting to know him, and she was ready to do that very thing.

After getting home, she laid out her purchases across the bed in her spare room so they wouldn’t get wrinkled. A quick salad for dinner and an episode of Downton Abbey while she ate, and she was ready for bed. Running a bath tonight, she poured in some scented bubble bath. She loved the smell of lavender and it filled the room as she stepped in to the hot water, she hair pinned to the top of her head.

As she relaxed, she thought again about Troy and his smile, wondering what his lips would feel like as they kissed her. What would it be like to kiss him? To feel his lips move down to her breast? As she thought about this, her fingertips brushed against her nipples until they hardened into little buds. It had been a long time since she had been kissed, since she had been with someone…her hand slipped under the water as her knees fell against the side of the tub.

Troy had spent the rest of the day in a busy blur. With Danny gone he had to man the phones and take over the running of the car tyre bay until Susan got back from her lunch break. Luckily they only had one car booked in, but the phones kept ringing and it had taken him almost twice as long to do the car. He had given the owner a 25% off voucher for his next rotation because of the inconvenience and luckily Susan had made it back before it got really out of hand.

By the end of the day he was exhausted. He had done 7 cars, not much really, but running in and out answering important calls at the same time made him think about putting in a phone out in the bay area, or at least getting a cordless one.

He had made sure all the mobile fitters had known to come back in and told them of the situation. He had to fool around with the runs a little so that he would have one of them to cover Danny for the next eight weeks. They had already talked it over so they knew it was coming it had just happened a little earlier than they had planned. He told them he would cover it until Monday when their plan would start so they could inform their clients. Nodding they all wished him a goodnight and he closed up.

It wasn't until he was halfway home he remembered his date. As he got close to home he saw a small florist shop and pulled in. He looked around and found something he really liked. He inquired if they would be open Saturday and if the item would be available fresh then. Reserving one for then he smiled and hopped back in his car. Okay it might be a little childish but hey he had always been like that.

He made it home and walked straight to the shower. It was his usual ritual when getting home from work. Park car in garage, take shoes off and put in laundry and spray with foot odor spray, get undressed and throw clothes in washing machine, walk naked to bathroom and shower, go to bedroom and throw on something comfortable and then eat.

Tonight he threw together a quick stir fry. Lots of vegies and some left over mince. He ate at his table while watching the TV, then deciding he was too tired he turned it off and headed to bed.

Danae walked out of the spa refreshed and smiling. The sun was bright and she was glad she had slipped on her sunglasses before stepping back out into the parking lot. It wouldn’t take long to get home and try to find something to do to keep her mind occupied until it was time to get ready for her date with Troy.

She was glad that the rest of the week at work had been so busy that she didn’t have much time to think or worry about it. Danae had an innate confidence, but having been out of the dating pool for a number of years, she was a little nervous about it. Troy wasn’t the kind of guy who was overbearing and seemed to be able to hold up his end of an intelligent and fun conversation, and she focused on that. It helped to remind her to relax and just enjoy it.

The phone was ringing as she walked into the house and she went through to pick it up, “Hello?” she said quickly.

“Danae! What are you doing tonight? Stacy called and is trying to get a group together to go out to that club on Currie Street, I think it's called Zhivago …please say you’ll come. I can pick you up at 9!” Nikki said without taking a breath.

Danae laughed at her enthusiasm. “Sorry, I wish I could, but I have plans tonight,” she said as she sat on the chair closest to her and swung her legs over the arm.

“Plans? What kind of plans? Are you staying in to wash your hair again? It’s been too long since we’ve gone out, and this will be fun, just us girls! Maybe we can find some hot looking guys to dance with, you never know!”

“No, Nikki! I actually have a date….” Danae laughed as Nikki gasped, “and he is already very hot, and very kind. Now, that’s all I’m going to say. I don’t want to jinx it!”

“Where did you meet him? How long have you known him? Why am I just now finding out?”

“Because it’s just a date and there is nothing to tell.” Danae wasn’t going to mention anything else. It was just a date, and who knew, it might even be a last one. “Anyway, I hope you have fun tonight. Maybe I will go the next time you plan to descend and take over a club!”

They said their good-byes and Danae sat there in the chair overlooking the backyard. She had known Nikki since her family had moved in next door when they were both 14. They had been through and done a lot of things together, and always had so much fun. But…tonight she had a date with Troy, and that was something she looked forward to!

She walked upstairs to her bathroom to get a shower. Two hours later, she was dressed in a pink robe that barely covered her bottom, and drinking a glass of Sauvignon Blanc that she had picked up last summer on a trip to Jacob's Creek Winery in Adelaide Hills. She didn’t want to get dressed too soon, she still had a few hours, after all. Danae took a moment to log in to her email and then decided not to reply to any of them, instead checking her account on Literotica…lurking, seeing who was around posting.

It was Saturday afternoon and as troy closed up the business just after lunch he realized he had pulled off a miracle. No one at work knew he was going on a date tonight. Normally if one of the single guys had a date, everyone knew about it five seconds after he had made it, but somehow he had managed to keep quiet about it.

As he drove home he stopped in at the florist and picked up his order, then stopped of to grab some lunch. Safely home and showered he sat in his favorite recliner and turned the TV on. After flicking through the channels he turned it off, there was nothing on. He wandered through the house and started to get antsy. It was only 2pm, he was in a clean pair of boxers, he didn't need to start getting ready for almost three hours so what was he going to do?

His eyes roamed the kitchen, dining room and lounge and finally found his laptop. Great, he could spend a few hours surfing the web, or playing a game. However as he unlocked his system he remembered something. He pulled up his Literotica account and logged on. He hadn't been on in a little bit as he had been busy at work, but luckily he had given notice to all the people he used to write with. Maybe some time to see if anybody he knew was still posting and what people were getting up to these days would take his mind off things and settle him down.

Danae ended up writing a few Lit friends and answering some messages before looking a few favorite threads. As it usually goes when logged in to this site, time went quickly. Looking at the time on the laptop, she logged out and shut down the system before heading upstairs to get dressed.

She really loved the new outfit she bought, the color was perfect. The other part was the part that she splurged on. Things she really didn’t need, but always made a woman feel a bit more girly…. And a bit more naughty, too.

She brushed her teeth and put her make-up on before brushing out her hair and pinning it back on the sides. Then she went into the bedroom and slipped into her new panties and bra, modeling in the full-length mirror she had in the corner of the room. They looked great. Those classes at the gym were paying off after sitting in an office all day. She looked over her shoulder at her bottom. Yep. Nice and toned.

Danae pulled the dress over her head and smoothed it out around her waist and tugging it down a bit in the back. Just because it was looking good didn’t mean she wanted to be flashing everyone she walked by tonight!

Grabbing a handbag and her shoes her shoes from the closet, she went downstairs to finish getting ready. She was excited, but trying not to think too much about it. What if he didn’t show? What if she was late because of traffic? What if half-way through dinner he decided he didn’t like her? So many things that could ruin a good date if she thought hard about them, so she kept pushing those thoughts away.

Pulling into the parking lot a shortly before 7, she checked her make-up and her hair before heading into the restaurant to meet him.

Troy had replied to a few messages he had from a few friends, played on the boards for awhile and then decided it was time to get ready. He brushed his teeth, combed his hair and shaved. Then basically made himself smell pretty. He laughed at that but it was true. All through the week he tried his best but by the end of the day he stunk. He just couldn't find a deodorant that could keep up with his level of work. So when he went out he liked to smell good.

Smiling he made his way into his room and looked at his clothes. He had his formal suit and a casual affair. He had decided on Navy blue as that basically went with everything as his casual attire and of course his formal was a black tie affair. He pondered and then went with the casual look. They were meeting at a restaurant for a casual dinner, so maybe his formal wear might be a little over the top.

He quickly got dressed and then checked himself. Okay he looked good even if he said so himself. Then he made a last check. Okay house clean on the off chance they came back.Check. Enough money to cover the bill plus even more just in case. Check. Keys. Check. Wallet. Check. Present from the florist. Check. Condoms for the absolute rarest of possibilities. Check.

Okay, he locked the house up and got into his car and drove into town. He was half an hour early and found a decent car park within a minutes walk of Gaucho's. He walked in and sat at the small bar and ordered a lemon squash. He didn't want any alcohol just yet as he wasn't a big drinker and he definitely didn't want anything in his system when he met her.

Just before 7 he saw a vision walk in the door then realized it was her. My god what was he doing here. She was way out of his league as she would soon be able to tell. Still he was here so they may as well have a nice dinner anyway.

He stood up and waved her over, walking towards her. He hugged her as she got close and gave her a small kiss on the cheek. "I'm glad you made it. I will just go tell the waiter that we would like to be seated or would you like to get a drink first?" he asked her. As he did he remembered the present he had in his pocket and pulled it out. "Oh and I got something for you. I know it is a little cheesy but I guess that's how I am."

Pulling it out he showed her a small red rose bouquet done in a style to be worn on the wrist. "I hope you don't mind."



What he is wearing

Danae walked in from the bright sunlight and stood waiting for her eyes to adjust. The place smelled of grilled meat and her stomach rumbled a little bit.

She didn’t see Troy at first but her face broke out into a big smile when Danae saw him walking up to her. He was dressed casually, but looked very smart and handsome in his suit. As they met, he leaned in to kiss her cheek and she could smell the cologne he was wearing. It just happened to be her favorite male cologne, and she put a mental check in the “smells good” category, right below “looks great in a suit”.

“Hi,” she said, getting ready to answer his question. She was surprised when he pulled out a beautiful rose coursage, and she giggled a little bit, pleased that he had thought of something so sweet. She didn’t know about other guys, but she liked that he thought of this, he must have had it planned for days.

“Thank you! It’s beautiful, and very sweet of you to do this.” She leaned over and kissed his cheek before taking it out of the box and putting in on her wrist. Then, looking up to him, said, “Why don’t we get out table so we can sit and talk, get to know one another.”

As she waited for him to let the waiter know they were ready to be seated, she admired the roses again. Now that she thought about it, it went great with the dress she was wearing. It went great with what she was wearing underneath, too.

Troy was glad she liked the roses. He had thought about getting her a regular bunch of flowers, but they always got in the way during dinner. Of course he could give them to her afterwards, but then it seemed like an after thought and what happened if they didn't hit it off?

When he had seen the small bracelet flowers he knew it was a solution to his dilemma. They were still pretty to look at, but would be out of the way and he could give them to her right at the start of the date.

He walked up to the matre De and told him they were ready to be seated. Luckily it wasn't too busy yet and they only had to wait 5 minutes until they were guided to a little table in a shadowy corner. It did not feel like they were hidden away though, it was more a romantic table near the fireplace.

Troy pulled out Danae's chair for her then moved around to his own and took off his jacket before sitting. He was probably going to rue wearing a white top to dinner but those were the risks. He picked up the menu and had a quick look and immediately decided on the Mixed Grill. He was disappointed there was not a green salad on the menu to go with it and he tossed up whether to order the mushroom one but decided against it.

He also wondered if he should suggest ordering some oysters, but that might send the wrong sort of message. He would just wait and see what she was in the mood for.

Walking through the restaurant with his hand on the small of her back, she followed the Maitre d’ to the table near the fireplace. It looked cozy and inviting, a perfect place to talk and get to know someone. Little flips in her stomach told her how much she was enjoying the attention that Troy was giving her as her helped her be seated.

It was hard to focus on what the Maitre d’ was saying as she watched Troy take his jacket off and sit down to look at his menu. She could see the muscles rippling underneath his shirt, and it made her want to reach out to touch him, just to see how firm they were. Embarrassed by her thoughts, she looked at the menu to see what she might order, quickly making a decision.

Danae glanced up from the menu at Troy who had just set his menu aside.

“Everything sounds so wonderful. Have you decided?” she asked. “I think I like the sound of the lamb cutlet with chimichurri, myself” Setting the menu down and picking up her glass of water, she took a sip.

Relax, Danae, and just enjoy his company.

Troy smiled. Ah a woman who was not afraid to order something substantial to eat. This was promising. He hated those women who just ordered a salad or something very small.

"I was thinking of the Mixed grill. Everything sounded so nice so why not have a bit of it all," he smiled. He paused a second and then decided to dive in, after all nothing ventured nothing gained his father used to say. "Would you like to share some oysters with me. I haven't had any in a while and I can never justify buying them for just myself when I go out. You don't have to agree of course. I know they are an acquired taste and some people just don't like them. However sharing them with a beautiful lady, that is perfectly reasonable is it not," he grinned charmingly "And you are definitely a beautiful woman. Have I complemented you on that stunning dress yet. I didn't want to say anything but I think every males eyes followed you all the way to your seat. I think I am the envy of a lot of people in here right now."

He looked into her eyes and smiled then looked away blushing a little. Perhaps he had said too much but it was true, she was stunning in that dress and even he was having a hard time keeping his eyes off her enough so he didn't look like he was staring at her.

"Perhaps we should order some drinks at the same time as our meal. What will you have. If you like wine I would suggest we split a good Pinot Noir if you like red or a Sauvignon Blanc if you prefer a white. Both go very well with lamb which we have both ordered," he said trying to cover his embarrassment and start a conversation on a safe topic.

She was still contemplating the oysters when he began speaking of men’s eyes following her, and that caused her to smile. Danae blushed a little at his words as she listened to him. She had not thought of that when she bought the dress. It never crossed her mind that others would be paying attention to her, she was simply thinking of his eyes on her and what thoughts he might have when he saw her.

His next comment brought her back to the present.

“Oh, yes! I think the white would be lovely. I enjoy a good Sauvignon Blanc. As for the oysters, I would love to share some with you.” She didn’t really care for them one way or the other, but he looked so excited about having them, that she simply couldn’t refuse. She had heard all the talk about oysters being an aphrodisiac, but didn’t know if she believed that. It might be interesting to find out, she thought to herself.

Trying to keep the conversation flowing, Danae said, “I was impressed at what you did for that guy, Danny, the other day. Was that something you did on the spur of the moment, or had you planned that?” As soon as she finished speaking, the waiter came to the table to ask if they were ready.

She watched as he placed their orders, her fingers fumbling with the napkin across her lap. He looked so at ease, whether in a suit or in coveralls, and it intrigued her that he could be so natural no matter why type of setting they were in. She liked it. Very much.

As the waiter came over Troy placed their order's and added an order for half a dozen natural oysters and a bottle of the Adelaide Hills Sauvignon blanc. Turning back to her he smiled as their menu's were whisked away and the waiter promised their drinks would be with them shortly.

"Oh that thing with Danny. That has been planned for awhile, ever since I found out his wife was pregnant really. In our line of work you are working long hours and are exhausted when you get home. You work 6 days a week although Saturday is only half a day, so it doesn't leave you much time to spend with your kids. I wanted him to at least be their for the first part of his child's life and have some time to bond with him or her." He smiled and had a sip of water. "Plus it will help Nancy out and he should experience the joy of changing Nappy's and getting up at two in the morning as well right," he grinned," After all he helped make the child."

He took another sip of water and looked again at Danae. He still couldn't believe that someone as beautiful as her was sitting across from him. "So Danae, tell me a little bit about yourself. I assume you are a lawyer of some kind." He saw a slight bit of shock on her face and chuckled. "After all you were in the parking lot of a lawyers firm with a flat tyre at the end of a work day. I assumed that was where you worked. Plus it was on your card," He admitted sheepishly.

Danae was listening to him tell about Danny. It wasn’t every day that the owner of a business would get involved in the lives of their employees, and it pleased her in a strange way to know that Troy cared about the people who worked for him. He caught her off guard with his comment about being a lawyer, though. She giggled a little as she answered him.

“Well, I do work in a firm, but I’m a Legal Assistant. I’ve been there about 8 years and I really like what I do.” She said, softly. “It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do, and it keeps me busy.” She was a little embarrassed to be talking about herself.

“Other than that, I get to the gym, go out with friends, visits family, that sort of thing. I bought a house a few months ago, and I’ve spent a little time making it ‘my space’, as it were.”

Buying that house had been a big thing in her life. She had moved in with Michael years ago, right out of college, and this was her first big purchase, other than her car. Something that she could call her own, and she did it all by herself. It was a bit large for her, but she made one of the bedrooms her office, and the other was for guests. She figured if she ever needed a room after a party for a friend, it would be available.

“I know you work a lot of hours, Troy. What do you do for fun?” she asked. She remembered that Danny had said something about him not dating, or not having a girl or something. But, maybe he did and Danny didn’t know.

She hoped that Danny was right, though.

Troy almost laughed at her question. Fun. Wow he couldn't really remember the last time he had really just gone out to have fun. Because of his work schedule he had not been able to join a sport club in years although he had loved to play cricket and football as a kid, he just didn't have the time now. Lucky his job kept him fit.

"Let's see fun huh. I know the concept but..."he chuckled. "No seriously I go out to a gym near me, I fish and have my own boat, I swim, Occasionally I even catch up with friends," he laughed, "But I guess if I am honest most nights I spend at home either in front of the television or on my computer. In fact sometimes both at once. Not an exciting life I know but then single life never is."

The waiter came over with their wine and poured them each a glass and he took a small mouthful. He was not a big drinker so usually drank rather slowly but he decided he needed something to actually loosen him up a little.

"So a home decorator as well as a legal assistant. I see you are picking all the high end jobs," he teased her. "Next you will be telling me you are a gourmet cook as well. Seriously though it is a big step buying a place and making it your own. It takes a lot of time and effort and you can tell a lot about someone by their place." He blushed again as he realized he was getting too serious and threw in a joke. "Most of the time my place just screams A dirty pig lives here but..." he laughed.

"So," he asked her as his eyes looked into hers and fell deeply into them, "Just what do you like to do when your alone." Glancing around he leaned over a little and whispered "Don't tell anyone but I love to just sit in my underwear and watch television. It's the one good thing about being single," he chuckled leaning back again.

Danae listened intently to Troy describing what he did for fun, and was glad that a girlfriend wasn’t mentioned in any of it. It sounded as though he barely had time to himself, and that, when he did, he liked to just relax. She didn’t mind that; she was the same way. Some days were so long, or so busy, that all she wanted to do was unwind. She didn’t always like that she had to unwind alone, though.

She watched as the wine was poured, then took a drink of hers at the same time Troy sipped his. The wine was superb, as most wines from the Hills were. She liked to drink the local wines even though she didn’t get out to restaurants much. She shook her head smiling when he teased her about being an interior decorator, and was getting ready to answer him when he whispered that he liked to hang out in his underwear!

She thought it was so funny that she put a hand over her mouth to contain her laughter, whilst her other hand covered his. It was a good thing that she hadn’t been drinking or eating at that moment, because she might not have been able to swallow.

When she was able to talk again she leaned forward and whispered to him, “I don’t sit around in my undies at night, because I don’t wear them.” She stopped, realizing what she just said. “But, I do wear a long t-shirt or a robe to cover up. I'm dressed all day, you see...and sometimes the day drags on.” She whispered hurriedly, a slight blush on her face.

Danae slowly moved her hand back to her lap. She was having such a good time chatting with him that she was relaxed and able to touch him in a friendly way. That was a good thing, in her book, right? She took another sip of wine before she said, “You mentioned having a boat. How long have you been sailing?”

Troy had been startled at her admission of not wearing any underwear at home, but also very intrigued. Perhaps one day he could even verify if it was true, but that was a long way off, if it happened at all.

Still he had not failed to notice that she had put her hand on his, nor how nice that contact had been, and how he longed to have her hand back in his now that it was taken away.

"Oh I don't have a sailboat," He answered her leaning back slightly and holding his hands up in mock surrender, "Although I would like to own one someday. No I own a fishing boat. It has a cabin and a little kitchen in it, and enough space to do some fishing off the back. I take it out every so often and sometimes I invite the guys from work during Easter break or a long weekend. Kind of like a team bonding exercise thing." He smiled at her.

"You wouldn't happen to like going out fishing or just cruising on the ocean would you Danae?"

“A fishing boat? What do you catch? How far out do you go?” Danae was interested and could have asked at least ten more questions as he smiled at her. Of course, she’d been out both sailing and cruising, but she’d never been out fishing on a boat in the ocean. The only time she’d been fishing was off the pier, and she wasn’t sure if that was the same thing.

She told him all these things as they waited for their dinner. “When we decided on the spur of the moment to go fishing, my brother got the rods out and we went to the pier. I don’t even know what it was I caught, but he made me throw it back! But, that’s been ages ago.” Danae liked how he paid attention to her as she told her silly little story. He wasn’t spending time looking around checking out other couples, or looking at people being seated nearby. He listened. He watched her. He looked so sweet.

She was getting comfortable here with him, next to a warm fire that was casting shadows on the wall. It wasn’t hard to do. He seemed to be a genuinely nice guy. How else could you explain taking the guys at work out on a fishing trip? It didn’t pass her notice that he referred to them as the “guys at work” instead of “employees”. He considered himself a part of the team, and she liked that.

He smiled. He would have liked someone like a brother or a sister to go fishing with as a kid on the spur of the moment. Oh sure his Dad had taken him a few times, but like him he had been a little bit of a workaholic. It was one of the things he had told him, never to become him. Get out and enjoy life while he was still young enough. Looking at Danae he was beginning to understand why his Dad had told him that.

"Oh It has pretty big tanks so I am able to go a reasonable distance off shore if I want. I have gone ten to twenty Kilometers out, but I can go way further if I want. Actually it can make the crossing to kangaroo island and back if the weathers good, but I don't think I would ever risk that," he smiled.

"When we are close to shore we normally fish for Garfish, whiting, squid, maybe some crabs. When we are way out though we fish for Tuna, Snapper and Kingfish. We have caught some big fish but mostly we just catch what we need and let the rest go."

He smiled at her and then gently placed his hand on hers. "If you ever wanted to go out then you have my number." Then realizing that he wasn't even sure if she was enjoying this date he rambled on, "You k.k.know you could invite some friends and we could make a day of it or something," he blushed.

He was saved as the waiter approached and placed their meals in front of them. Wow they were decent sized portions but he was glad. He had worked up a hunger working that morning and everything smelled delicious.

Wow! She thought as he told her about fishing. Not only is he smart and kind and handsome, but he seems so down-to-earth. There has to be something that I wouldn’t like about him, right? But, at the moment there wasn’t one thing she could think of. Even the fact that his hand was covering hers was sweet and unassuming.

After the waiter set their plates in front of them and turned to leave, Danae picked up the conversation, “This food looks and smells wonderful, doesn’t it?” She glanced at Troy and smiled. “I’ve been out to Kangaroo Island on the SeaLink a few times, but I’ve not been out to fish in the ocean. It really sounds like a lot of fun, but what happens if you get a big fish and it pulls you into the water?” She made her eyes wide, like she was frightened, and then laughed…she couldn’t even pull off a good tease about it!

She was finding it easy to talk to him, and that made her much more relaxed. As they'd been talking she was realizing that sometimes it's simply nice to have another to talk to. She'd been missing that. Living alone was nice in some aspects, didn't have to get dressed if you didn't want, didn't have to do the dishes or clean up right away...but it also had its drawbacks. There wasn't anyone to talk to about the little things, things that didn't necessarily matter, but the companionship.

Unfortunately, she had to slide her hand out from under his in order to cut her meat. Picking up her knife and ford, she rested her wrists on the edge of the table as she looked over and told him, “It’s a good thing I know how to swim, just in case one of those big fishes pull you in!” Her eyes sparkled with mischief. “Let’s try some of these oysters you’ve been craving! They look delicious!”

Conversation was easy and light-hearted between them and Danae hoped that he was having as good a time as she was.

So she was having as good a time as he was, that was great. If her light hearted mood and gentle teasing were anything to go by then things were going well. He was enjoying himself immensely and he decided to come out of his shell a little more. He had so far refrained from rally teasing her back but perhaps he should start giving as good as he got.

"Well I am game if you are, but after what you told me about your home life are you sure you can risk it," he teased her.

He smiled and picked one up and slurped it own. She was right, it was delicious and he had no problems eating his other two. He was a little disappointed now that he had oly ordered a half a dozen. He took a drink of wine to cleanse his palate and then looked at his main meal. "Well I guess I will dig in. If you want to try any of this feel free."

He smiled as he started to try a little bit of each of the meats on his plate. "Oh and if I knew you were going to be the one rescuing me, I just might let one of those fishes pull me in," he smiled at her.

She laughed at his teasing as she watched him slurp down an oyster. What did he mean by risking it because of her home life? Oh. She blushed, but didn’t stop smiling. He must have been talking about how she lounged around the house after work.

Danae decided to do the same, slurping down her oysters one at a time. Although she didn’t prefer them when she’d tried them before, these were actually very tasty. “Oh, my. They are as delicious as they look! I’m so glad that you ordered them, Troy.” She said as she took a drink of wine. So far, the company and the food were both delicious, and she was pleased that she had said ‘yes’ the other day.

She was a natural teaser and she liked that he had started to tease her back.
“I suppose…since you are the one who knows how to drive a boat…you do drive a boat, right? Since you are the one who knows how, then I will have to jump in and save you from all the little guppies giving you little guppy kisses. Why should they have all the fun?” She laughed, then realized what she had said. She hadn’t meant to go that far. Sometimes her mouth got her into all kinds of trouble…thankfully that never happened at work!

She looked at her plate, concentrating hard on cutting her lamb as her face was bright red. She couldn’t believe she had just flirted with him. She never flirted like that on a date. Well, if she ever had a date she wouldn’t. Anyway, he must think I’m awful, flirting outrageously like that. Slowly chewing the juicy lamb, she looked up at him, then covered her mouth with her napkin as she giggled.

Had she just said that she wanted to kiss him? Well if that was true the feeling was mutual, in fact he had wanted to give her a proper kiss the moment she had walked in, but he couldn't do that. Now here she was saying she wanted to.

His face split into a big grin as he cut up a piece of he beef and he replied,"Yes I can drive the boat and perhaps I would just have to kiss you back. After all there is always something fishy about those guppy kisses. You never know what they are up to?"

He groaned a little as he put the delicious meat in his mouth. Had he just said that? That was like the worst joke ever, quick say something, anything to cover that up. "Of course you wouldn't need the excuse of guppies to kiss me you know. I believe I feel the same way."

He paused with his next mouthful halfway to his mouth then quickly ate it blushing furiously. Should have just stuck with the stupid joke he thought, that would have been less embarrassing.

“An excuse to kiss you? I never….” Danae was thoroughly embarrassed, and yet thrilled that he had just said that the ‘feeling was mutual’. Although she had never actually said those words, she could see where he might have misconstrued her words. Or read her mind. She decided it would be best to change the subject to something safer.

“When I learned to swim as a child, we were called Guppies. All in all, I had about four years of swimming, though I choose not to pursue it in competition.” Why did she tell him that? Was it really important, especially since it made mention of guppies again. Not that she wouldn’t mind kissing him, but she shouldn’t just throw herself at him.

Setting down her fork and knife, Danae took another sip of wine while she gathered her wits. Troy was such a nice guy, just relax and enjoy….and keep the flirting light, she reminded herself.

Looking at him eating with gusto, she smiled and asked, “Are you enjoying your meal, Troy? This lamb is wonderful and tender.” There. That was safe ground. Let’s just see where he leads things. We are both interested in a kiss. Hopefully, it’s not just the wine talking.

Sighing in relief he looked up at her and smiled. Good back onto a safe subject, although he would have liked to have discussed kissing her a lot more.

"The meat is wonderful. Everything on this plate is cooked to perfection. If you want to try anything feel free," he smiled at her. He cut of a small piece of sausage and bit into it and the flavor was to die for.

"Oh you just have to try my sausage," he told her. Then realizing what he had just said he blushed a deep red and spluttered out, "I..I..mean this chorizo it is great. I didn't mean anything else."

He realized he was just digging a bigger hole for himself and grabbed his wine glass and took a big mouthful. Boy that was not awkward was it. Could he just take his foot out of his mouth and try again.