NICOLE AND ADAM – JUST ENTREES

Their meals arrive and present gloriously in front of them. Seduction meals. Plated and presented beautifully. They admire the bold, seductive colors and the abstract form and sexy silhouette with which the components are arranged. The two of them take a long moment to take in the vision before them. Adam watch Nicole’s lashes flutter as her eyes half close and her chest expand just a little as she breaths in the food. They look up and look at each other before viewing the others plate. The wine steward follows and pours the wines to complement the entrees. Nicole watch Adam’s long fingers trail up the stem of the wine glass before he cups the globlet and lifts it to his nose and lips. Now is the time to use, not to play with, the silverware.

In sync, Nicole and Adam make a cut and put a piece of their meal into their mouths, feeling their taste buds tingle while the food lingers long enough to be swept away by their tongues. Savoring the flavor and texture; looking at each other. Gulping, they both let out a low moan. Adam cuts a piece of the skate, pushing it onto the flat of his knife; he lifts it up and offers it up to her lips. Nicole parts her lips in slow measure, dips down on the knife and claims the bite of food he offers into her mouth. Her eyes roll back, the morsel melts in her mouth, and she swallows. It is her turn. She offers a piece of her halibut on her fork up to Adam’s lips. He opens his mouth without hesitation, leaning in for the bite before dragging his lips from the tines. Nicole brings the empty fork back to her mouth, slowly sucking it before setting it back down to her plate. Nicole and Adam finish eating without speaking. Enjoying their meals. Watching each other pull bread apart, finger the glass stems and silverware handles, play the food with their lips, lick up the morsels.

Finally, Adam dabs his lips with his napkin and sets it back down on his lap. He takes another sip of his wine.

“You have beautiful hands, strong fingers, Nicole. Do you work with your hands, play the piano?”

Nicole raises her eyebrows, surprised.

“No, I don’t play the piano. I barely know how to listen to music, let alone read music and play. That’s funny. And I can’t dance either.” She looks down on her hands before she withdraws them down below the table.

She should have stayed quiet but could not help the force of curiosity, “why do you think that?”

“You keep your nails extremely short,” he hesitates, then ” your fingertips are very dry. All of them.”

Nicole squirms in her seat and pushes her hands down further, as if to hide them better.

“I’m sorry, Nicole. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I just notice things. Your hands are beautiful.” Adam extends his arms out and hands over the table as if to reach for hers.

She brings one hand up onto the table and gently taps on the back of his, “thanks.”

Adam moves very quickly and places his other hand over hers, sandwiching it, giving it a reassuring squeeze before releasing.

The wait staff appears on cue to clear the table. Do they wish to see the dessert menu? Do they wish to see the selection of after dinner drinks?

Adam nods at Nicole to defer to her decision.