Chapter 7

“The black one!”

Kate, wrapped in a bathrobe, having just had a shower, was looking through her purchases and deciding what to wear for dinner when Isaak awoke.

Unseen by Kate he watched her holding the black velvet dress up against her and looking in the mirror and then she put it back before taking out a rather more demure grey dress.

“The black one’s a bit much for dinner!” Kate said but Isaak disagreed.

“Not when you’re eating here. If I have to wear a suit and tie, the least you can do is wear that dress with pearls.”

“I’ve had my shower,” Kate said instead of agreeing. “If you want the bathroom.”

“Sosed,” Isaak said as he stepped into the shower, for they were like flatmates sharing the facilities while dodging around the other. God, but he wanted her in here with him.

Isaak decided to take care of the rather obvious need as he soaped up his hardening cock, but for a man who was usually shameless, her revulsion last night at his crude suggestion put a dampener on things and instead he showered quickly and stepped out.

Christ, was he growing a conscience?

Tomorrow she had her spa day, Isaak thought, and decided to leave things till then.

“What time’s the booking?” Kate asked, trying not to notice how gorgeous he looked as he stepped out in fresh black underwear.

Last night she had been so distressed that she had paid no attention to his body.

She was trying not to pay attention to it now.

He was incredibly lithe, his skin pale, accentuating the dark red of his nipples. There was just a smattering of chest hair, but it was a much lower snake of glossy black hair that had her eyes fight not to look down.

His legs as he dried them were muscular and lean and the scent of him, fresh from the shower and doused in cologne, had her forget her own question as he answered.

“Seven.”

“Sorry?”

“The booking is for seven.”

Kate had been very busy since he’d been in the shower, she was dressed in the stunning black dress and had put her make up on, as well as pinning up her hair.

“What,” Isaak said as he looked down, “is your obsession with stockings?”

“I can’t go to dinner with bare legs.”

“Please do,” Isaak said. “From the waist up, amazing, from the waist down…” He shook his head. “They’re horrible.”

“You don’t dictate what I wear.”

“I’m not dictating,” Isaak said. “I’m strongly suggesting.” He rolled his eyes and came over. “Fine, at least they’ll be tucked under the table.” He watched as she put on her pearls, which fell low, low on her stomach.

“There weren’t enough pearls….” Kate stared down as he tied them in a low knot.

“I had a few added,” Isaak admitted. “Better than a choker?”

“It is.”

“You have only one knot, Kate…” He looked down to where it lay and in a very subtle way, he made reference to last night. “You can untie it.”

“I can’t,” Kate admitted and then he looked right into her eyes and asked a very direct question.

“Who hurt you?”

“No one.”

“So why are you so scared of something so nice?”

“I’m not scared.”

“Again you look me in the eye and lie.”

He saw the haze of tears and fear there, and he knew he was right. Someone had hurt her and badly.

“I am scared,” Kate admitted. “Especially because I have tried to get over it. I’ve seen many doctors and counsellors and I had a really nice boyfriend called Basil, and he was really patient, at first, but in the end—”

“Hey,” Isaak interrupted, “I can tell you now what the problem was there.”

“His name?” She smiled and Isaak laughed for he was glad to see she had her humor.

“Two problems then,” Isaak said, “Basil and nice.” He screwed up his nose. “I would be really offended if a woman described me as a nice boyfriend.”

“Really, how would you like to be described?”

“I can be nice, but that is not the first thing I would want to be described as by my lover. You did not need nice, you needed amazing, you needed sensational, someone so hot for you and you hot for them, someone deeply into you…” He looked down at her mouth and the burn on her cheeks. “You’re so far from frigid Kate.”

“Perhaps…” She took a deep breath, could not quite believe she was discussing this with anyone and especially him, but he was just so laid-back about the whole thing. “It’s not just a question of not wanting to, it’s that I can’t. I spasm…”

Isaak just stared.

“I get scared,” she explained further.

“I know,” Isaak said and kissed the tip of her nose. “I intend to unaware you. Come on, enough talk about sex. I’m hard…”

“Isaak.”

“But I am.”

He was holding her hand, and she almost wanted him to press it there, to feel him but he did not.

“Get your lipstick on,” Isaak said. “And those stockings off. If we can’t fuck, then we need to eat.”

Somehow he made her smile.

And yes, she took her stockings off.