Twisted Sister Page 4
The restaurant Trent selected for their first date was one of Holly’s favorites. Ms. Catherine’s was a quaint, sophisticated restaurant in the heart of downtown. Ms. Catherine’s was beautifully appointed, with deep red dupioni silk curtains covering most of the exposed brick walls and lavishly sparkling chandeliers adoring the ceiling. The restaurant featured one of the best live jazz ensembles in the tri-state area, setting an intimate mood with their soulful musical renditions.
When Holly arrived at Ms. Catherine’s, Trent was waiting outside. He looked a bit nervous too, which was a relief to Holly… at least she wasn’t alone in those feelings. As expected, Trent was dressed very nicely; not overdone, just enough to make the right impression. His rugged good looks never disappointed.
As the car pulled up, Trent met her at the door, opening it before the driver had a chance to. His hand extended through the opened door and assisted Holly in getting out of the idling car. He smiled. She smiled. Again there was that moment of instant body, mind, and soul connection. Holly knew this was going to be a good night.
And it was a good night. Trent was the perfect gentleman. He was attentive and seemed genuinely interested in Holly; not just talking about himself like so many men she had met tended to do. The ambiance of the restaurant was fantastic, the meal was great, and Holly became more and more at ease as the night went on.
The conversation was easy with Trent, just as it had been on the telephone.
“I’m glad Blythe helped us make this connection,” Trent began. “Of course I had noticed you in the office before, but I didn’t know whether you were involved with anyone or not,” he continued. “I assumed you were… a beautiful, successful, sophisticated woman like yourself… I couldn’t imagine that some man had not swooped you up.”
Holly began to blush, her cheeks reddening as Trent spoke. She never had been good at receiving compliments, and this time was no different.
He continued moving closer to her, “You know all this time we have been spending together talking on the phone Holly…it’s been really, really nice.” Trent looked at Holly with such fondness. His gaze was very intent and intense.
Holly was surprised… pleasantly surprised. She had started to get more comfortable with Trent, the more they spoke. Trent was fine, no doubt about. But Holly found him to be more than that. Not only was he smart, driven, and sexy, he really was a nice guy. More than that, he could make Holly laugh. That was important to her. For Holly, laughter was the best medicine; it could fix what ailed you, something she had learned from her mother.
“I’ve enjoyed our conversations as well, Trent,” Holly replied, not quite sure how to respond or where this was going. But again, she didn’t want to be presumptuous.
Trent leaned in even closer to Holly, looking deeply into her deep-set hazel eyes. Holly wasn’t exactly sure what to do. Her mind was saying, “Woo Holly, don’t move too fast” but her body was saying, “it’s been far too long...”
Trent reached for her hand that had been resting on the table. She obliged; her heart beginning to race a little.
“I don’t think you understand what I mean Holly,” Trent said, squeezing her hand a little more tightly; not in a hurtful way but in an intentioned way.
“I feel like I know you so well, and I really… I can’t believe I’m saying this…” Trent looked a little embarrassed; a sheepish boyish look on his face.
“I think I’m falling for you. I mean…” Trent continued, not waiting for a response from Holly. “I couldn’t wait to get a chance to tell you this in person; saying it over the phone just wouldn’t have felt right.”
Holly’s face began to flush, as her body temperature started to rise. The people and music in the background started to fade from view. It was as if the only two people in the world were she and Trent. He leaned in slowly and their eyes met…This wasn’t like the long distance glances from across a crowded room. This was up close and personal. Holly felt her body start to tense… her heart raced a little faster. Trent leaned in, closing the last bit of distance between them and kissed her softly on the lips. It was just enough.
The evening ended as nicely as it had begun. After dinner, Trent and Holly took a leisurely stroll downtown. The star-studded night sky was clear and provided a perfect backdrop as Trent and Holly laughed, held hands, and genuinely enjoyed each other’s company.
Holly didn’t want the night to end… she was having such a wonderful time with Trent. Their date had gone better than expected, and she was excited and relieved. Blythe had done well. Maybe Trent was Holly’s Mr. Right!
Trent realized the hour was late and he didn’t want the night to end either. But being the gentleman he was, he offered to hail a cab for Holly and stay with her until her ride came. He knew what impressed Holly and he wanted to make sure she was impressed by his patience and chivalrous actions.
The couple made their way back down the boulevard toward Ms. Catherine’s. The taxi arrived shortly thereafter.
“This has been an amazing night,” Trent said, opening the taxi door for Holly.
“I had a great time too, Trent,” Holly replied, smiling. She kissed him on the cheek and made her way into the awaiting cab. Trent closed the door gently behind her and stood on the sidewalk, watching the cab as it pulled away.
During the ride home, Holly’s thoughts were of Trent and how well the evening had gone. She remembered the kiss… and smiled. She liked Trent and he knew it. He had had his eye on Holly for a while. She was just the kind of woman he liked: tall, hourglass figure, and nice to look at. She was smart too, and was well on her way to a promising career. Trent wanted her and he would do whatever it took to get her.
As Holly was placing her key in the door to her apartment, her phone buzzed. She fumbled trying to manage her clutch, the key, and the phone all at the same time.
“Hi Blythe,” Holly said. She had to smile; Blythe was so predictable.
“I knew you weren’t going to be able to wait until tomorrow to hear how things went with Trent.”
“Girl, I thought about it,” Blythe began, “but the more I considered how long it would take until tomorrow arrived, I decided it was just too long. Now you don’t have to go into all the juicy details right now, Holly, but just tell me - was it everything you thought it would be? If you just tell me that, I can sleep peacefully tonight, and I promise I will be patient and wait until you are ready to tell me the rest of the story… I promise!” Blythe suggested excitedly.
Holly knew Blythe would be just as impatient in the morning as she was right now, but she also didn’t want her best friend to have a restless night.
“It was what I expected,” Holly replied, “… and more. Good night Blythe.”
And with that, Holly hung up the phone, not giving Blythe a chance to reply. Holly snickered. One way or the other, Blythe would not be getting much sleep tonight.
Just as Holly was settling into her king-sized bed between her cool and cozy cream satin sheets, her phone rang again.
Without looking at the number, she grabbed the phone, answering it, “Come on Blythe, I’m not saying anything else,” she began.
“Holly?” It wasn’t Blythe, as she had expected.
“Oh, I’m sorry Trent, I thought this was Blythe calling back,” she said apologetically.
“I didn’t mean to disturb you,” he went on. “I just wanted to check and make sure you had gotten home safely.”
“How thoughtful of you. I did, and thanks for calling,” Holly replied.
“No problem… I had a great time tonight,” Trent continued, as if he didn’t want the call to end.
“I did too… good night Trent,” Holly said, the warm feelings of their time together returning.
“Good night Holly… my dreams tonight will be of you.”
Holly hung up the phone and snuggled down into her inviting bed, replaying her time with Trent over and over in her head until sleep found her.
Trent hung up the phone, making sure to disconnect only after Holly did. His thoughts would certainly be of Holly tonight, and he knew deep down inside, she would be thinking of him too.