Grant just stared back. His face expressionless. He knew when they got like this, there was no stopping it. Commenting only encouraged them.
“It could be a tall challenge for the G-man,” said Jennifer. “I guess you two didn’t know about Melanie’s ex.”
“What about him?”
“That’s just it. He was a ‘her’ not a ‘him’.”
“Melanie dated a trans person?” asked Bethany, with a puzzled look.
“No, silly,” Jennifer explained, “her ex, Lisa, is a woman, both now and originally. A beautiful one too. She’s a Physician Assistant. They were hot and heavy for at least a year. Then something happened. I don’t know the story, but Melanie was heartbroken.”
“So, she’s a lesbian,” Grant stated matter-of-factly, breaking his silence, “you want me to date a lesbian. Great.”
“I didn’t know,” Bethany replied, throwing her hands up in the air. “Besides, with me for a reference, anything is possible.”
Jen thought for a moment. “Well, the truth is,” she said, as she toyed with the food on her plate, “Melanie is bi. I know because her ex was the first woman she’d ever been with.”
“Once you try bi, you never go back,” Claire quipped, squeezing Bethany’s hand.
“What do you think, Jen?” Bethany asked. “Isn’t it worth a try?”
Grant jumped in. “Wait, don’t I get some say in this?”
“No,” the three women said in unison.
Chapter Two
It was the easiest date Grant had ever arranged. He did nothing. Jennifer set up the day and time with Melanie and picked the restaurant. Bethany and Claire got him ready. They selected his clothes, made him buy a new shirt, spritzed him with body spray, and fussed with his hair. Grant’s suggestion that they also join him for dinner was roundly rebuffed.
In his mind, he wasn’t dressed up enough for The Capital Grille. He would have felt more comfortable in a suit, or at least a jacket, but the girls insisted on something different. Claire picked out the Brooks Brothers dress shirt. It had a button down collar and was a lavender gingham. The color was something he would never have selected on his own. He was just glad Claire hadn’t pushed for the pink one. They paired the new shirt with grey dress pants. Grant pushed aside feelings of self-consciousness, counting on the choices his friends made for him.
Having been assured by Jennifer that Grant wasn’t a psycho killer, Melanie agreed to have him pick her up for dinner. Grant enjoyed their brief phone conversation the day before. He liked her voice. She laughed easily. It didn’t feel awkward at all. He’d immediately saved her address and mapped out the route.
He arrived at her condo 15 minutes early. He circled the block once, and then decided to park out of sight and wait. His patience lasted only another 5 minutes. He circled again and this time took a spot close to the front entrance.
“Hi Melanie. Your chariot awaits,” he texted.
“BRT,” came the quick reply.
Grant had no idea what that meant but sent back “No rush.”
Grant got out and stood on the sidewalk beside the passenger door of his QX60. The Infiniti was four years old, but still looked good, especially after he had it detailed in preparation for this date. He stood up straight and stuck his hands in his pockets. Feeling awkward, he leaned up against the vehicle instead, and tried to look relaxed. That lasted until she appeared. Melanie stepped through the doorway and time seemed to stop. It was like all his senses melted away and she was the only thing that existed.
Her long blonde hair perfectly framed her beautiful face and was styled in loose, flowing curls. There was a smile as she spotted him. Grant tried to smile back. That was when he realized he was already smiling…so hard it hurt. He straightened up as she stepped toward him. Her white top was squeezed tight against her large, heavy breasts. She was wearing a flared, short skirt with a floral pattern. It was pleated and stopped several inches above her knees. Grant tried not to stare at her legs but took them in as she stepped toward him. They were long and toned, graceful and gorgeous. She was wearing 4-inch black pumps and as she got closer, he realized she was probably 5’8″, without the heels. Not as tall as Claire and Jennifer, but tall.
“Hello Melanie.”
When she approached him, her face broke into a soft smile. “I assume you’re Grant.”
He momentarily lost himself in her green eyes before taking her hand and pressing it to his lips. It was old-fashioned and corny, but in the moment, it felt like the absolute right thing to do.
“Even if I wasn’t Grant,” he said, raising his eyebrows, “I would be tonight, because I want to be the one you’re waiting for.”
“Cute,” she replied. “Jen said you were a smooth talker.”
Still holding her hand, Grant reached for the door handle with the other. Opening it, he guided her in, staring at her legs as she stepped up into the SUV, and swiveled into her seat. Once he closed the door, he practically ran to the other side. He didn’t want to miss a second of her presence.
They chatted easily the whole way to The Capital Grille. When they arrived, the valet helped Melanie out of the vehicle before he could get there to do it himself. Grant envied the kid, but contented himself with the reality that he had Melanie to himself for the next couple of hours.
They had an appetizer and ordered their entrees, and the conversation flowed back and forth freely. They covered work, weather, and workout routines, before there was a second of silence. Melanie filled the void quickly.
“I haven’t been on a date in a while,” she confided, “so I’m a little rusty.”
“You’re doing great. It’s like riding a bike. Once you learn…you’re too beautiful to forget how.”
She smiled in response. There was no laugh, but the smile didn’t seem to be pity, so Grant pressed forward.
“How long has it been? No one like you should ever be alone.”
Melanie’s lips pressed together. She seemed to be weighing whether or not to answer.
“Let me rephrase. It’s been a while since I dated a man.”
Grant didn’t know if he should feign ignorance about her ex-girlfriend, so he attempted to find some sort of middle ground.
“Jen mentioned you just got out of a relationship. Is that right?”
“Yes,” she paused and looked away. “It was with a woman. My first.” Her eyes shot back to his. “Does that bother you?”
“That you just got out of a relationship? Of course not, I’m the lucky beneficiary of your new single status,” he playfully teased.
She giggled. “No… I… ummm…. that’s not what I mean.”
He loved it when she smiled and laughed. So, he attempted to keep his little joke going. “I’m very willing to take one for the team and be your rebound. I’m very unselfish like that.”
Her bright smile made a brief reappearance. “Does it bother you that my ex is a… you know…”
When she faltered, he quickly broke in. “Does it bother me that your ex was a woman?”
Melanie nodded.
“There are a few things to consider,” he said, holding up his index finger. “One, it doubles the amount of competition I have for your attention. The odds aren’t in my favor.”
Melanie gave a noncommittal shrug.
Holding up the next requisite finger, he continued. “Two, I can’t compete with a woman. I’m a man, and I bring all my maleness with me. I don’t look as good, I won’t share my clothes, and I can’t begin to understand your feelings as well as a woman would.”
“We wouldn’t look good in each other’s outfits anyway,” she teased. “And the potential of doubling my wardrobe has never been a major factor in selecting my dates.”
He kept silent as Melanie picked up her glass of iced tea and sipped on the straw. Her eyes remained on him as she did so. He was wrapped up in watching her lips circle the tip of the straw, the suction of her cheeks as she drew in the tea, the sparkle in her green eyes, and the way she swept aside a strand of her long blonde hair. Then he remembered it was his turn to speak.
“Ummm… if I may ask, were you in a relationship with a woman because you were damaged by one man or disillusioned with men in general?”
She stopped sucking and swallowed. He enjoyed every second of it.
“Neither,” she said, shaking her head from side to side. “When I fell for Lisa, it caught me by surprise. I’d never had romantic feelings for a woman before. It happened slowly. We enjoyed each other’s company and our friendship deepened quickly. I started spending more and more time with her, and I lost interest in pursuing any other relationships.”
“So there wasn’t some catastrophic event that pushed you to her?”
“None. I knew she was married and separated from her husband, but I didn’t know she was bisexual until it happened.”
“Until what happened?” he asked, trying not to sound eager.
Melanie’s eyes looked into the distance as she re-lived a scene from the past.
“I made dinner at my place. I don’t cook a lot, but Lisa never does at all. I offered a home cooked meal for her birthday, and she accepted. Looking back, I unconsciously created an intimate atmosphere. Great food, candlelight, soft music, just the two of us.”
“Sounds nice,” Grant commented as a way to keep the story going.
Melanie didn’t react as she continued. “We’d just finished dinner, and I was about to get up and serve dessert. The Eagles song, ‘I Can’t Tell You Why’ came on. Lisa stood up, walked around the table to me and held out her hand. I didn’t know what she wanted, but I took her hand, and she pulled me up, held me close, and we began to dance. It felt so strange… and at the same time it felt so natural. I was safe in her arms. Safe in a way that was different than I have ever felt with a man. I can’t explain it even now. When the song ended, she looked into my eyes, and slowly moved her lips toward mine. I let her kiss me. It felt so unlike anything I’d ever felt before. So soft, so sensual, so intimate. I began to kiss her back, and she just took control from there.”
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