A Red Lip Too Precious

Alicia glanced at her watch for the umpteenth time. The gesture serving two purposes at its root; one to get away from the prying eyes of the arse responsible for waiting her table and the second… Well, the second was the fact that she was having the biggest deal of her life sanctioned while she waited for a man she had never seen before to give her the experience of what an amicable relationship felt like when she couldn’t even give him props for punctuality. It didn’t matter to her though, not in the least as she stood up muttering “good riddance” under her breath and rushed towards the ladies room, to make a quick call.

“How’d it go? Did it went by okay? I’m sure you guys managed just fine without me.” She said as a way of greeting, suddenly out of breath. A smooth laugh on the other side made Alicia clutch the little device harder in her sweaty palms. She had never done well when it came to dealing with her anxiety. “Who do you take us for Al? Of course, they loved your presentation, which didn’t require us presenting anything in the first place. I mean seriously, it was so self-explanatory a group of five-year olds could have understood our five year plans.” Josephine’s voice was like music to Alicia as she wheezed in a little breath, her nausea climbing, then receding back into the depths of her soundly empty stomach. “So we got it, right?”

A rhetorical question which didn’t require an answer.                       

“Shouldn’t you be on a date? Enjoying the bliss of…casual sex?”  “Amicable companionship.” They both said at the same time and laughed. “Yeah, well for that we’d have to be in the same room for starters.” She washed her hands relishing the warmness of the water, the mobile tucked between her ear and shoulder. Her cheek slid on the screen and the call switched to speaker phone. “So do you think the guy saw you and left, or just stood you up?” Josephine asked once the laughter died down.

“I don’t know, what’s better?” Alicia joked, her voice small when she looked into the mirror. She hadn’t expected much from today, but she had still put on her best LBD and used that Dior lipstick. “Whatever, my red lip is too good to be smudged over an average sized, mediocrely efficient dick.”

‘Thud’

The sudden noise startled her making her head jerk around the empty restroom, completely forgetting about the phone cradled above her shoulder. A set of piercing eyes stood at the door.

Frank stood stock still as he realized his mistake. Ten years of service and the only day his timing had to be off was on this mission. One look at the female that stood in front of him, told him he didn’t mind it one bit. His hands lunged for the mobile that had slipped from her graceful bare shoulders, and caught it before it could end up in the faucet. “Hey.” Intelligent kohl rimmed eyes widened as she glanced from his hands to his face, red lips twitching. “Aren’t you in the wrong…” she looked around in a vague gesture as her eyes ran over his body.

He didn’t have time for this, and he knew that. The goons behind him would catch up soon and just because he couldn’t hustle his ass fast enough he had lost the window to get to Plan B; the glock. “At least not without Natalie Portman here getting a good look at it.” He didn't realize though that he had spoken out loud.

“Excuse me?” Alicia scrunched her brows in confusion. Did he just call her Natalie Portman? The thought however didn’t take much space in her mind, especially when she still wondered how much of her conversation he had heard. Her suspicious eyes ran over him once again, as she took in his shaggy brown hair, tanned skin, eyes that stared into her soul and a built she could only describe as…lithe? His suit looked expensive but somehow gave the vibe of a uniform, the dress shirt slightly strained at his chest and arms. Her attention fell on the lapel of his jacket, the cursive font almost glaring.

“Are you Andrew?” She shrieked, her voice coming out harsher than expected. Of course he is, ask his last name! Apparently her conscious was as vexed as her, she rolled her eyes and saw confusion marred on the guy’s face. “Andrew Parker?”

The woman practically spat in his face and Frank kicked himself for judging too soon when he saw the fire light up her hazel eyes. The way she rolled them to herself like she was having a fully drawn out conversation inside her head. Well this was awkward. He could do this two ways; either ditch the jacket and walk away, given that Rafael’s goons didn’t recognize him. Or…

“Yes, yes I am.” He said finally, slowly easing out of the jacket. “And you are?” Her gaze flitted to his arms as if she couldn’t help it visibly thrown off by the question as he fought off a grin. “Alicia James.” He heard her say after sometime, scoffing like she couldn’t believe the audacity of it, at which he deigned her one of his finest smiles dropping the jacket in the trash behind her. Her lips parting in horror and confusion. “It’s really nice to meet you, Alicia.”

A weird frustration bubbled in her veins as she saw his crumpled jacket. What a jackass! What an utterly handsome jackass! “You have no manners do you?” She chagrined at the nerve of his reply, at the sight of his pearly whites. “You are what…forty minutes late to our date and all you have to say is, ‘it’s nice to meet you Alicia’?” His smile fell morphing into a cringe when she did an impression of his voice. “I mean, it’s clear as day that you couldn’t give a rat’s ass about punctuality, you stand there completely in your element knowing full well that this is a girl’s washroom, as if you counted on it to be as empty as your head the day you were born.” Okay that was a little ruder than what we were going for, her conscience nagged.

“I’m really sorry!” Frank mumbled letting his smirk drop along with his flirtatious tone. Something about Alicia’s snarling five foot ten frame told him that he wouldn’t get out of this by acting his charming self. “Actually the thing is that my sister…” He paused for suspense and also because his mind had uttered the words without thinking ahead, “was…in labour. Yes, I rushed from work which is why I couldn’t change either.” An excellent lie, and here he thought his improv had become rusty. “The waiter, told me you had rushed inside a minute ago so I thought I would catch up and…convince you not to leave.” He threw in the puppy eyes when he saw the waiter bit hit a nerve with her. She grunted, again to herself, eyes casted towards the door as if somehow she could locate and shoot the guy through it.

Alicia scanned his face for any tells, but there were none, except for the doe eyes that he was making at her. Even so, many years of hearing her subordinates lie to her, told her it wasn’t the truth. That wretched waiter, he wasn’t going to get any tips from her today. “Dessert. What’s your poison?” she asked after some contemplation wholly meaning it as a test when she saw his eyes go wide in surprise. Good. “Chocolate cake?” He replied uncertainly his voice small, as he looked at her weirdly. “You’re telling me or asking me?” She couldn’t shake off the attitude now. Why had he gone with chocolate cake? It was as good as him guessing her favourite colour to be pink. “Cheesecake?” He tried again.                                                             “Is this like Sophie’s choice to you?” Alicia snapped. “Definitely cheesecake.” He said with a nod, smiling as she rolled her eyes. “You have the time of a single dessert to make this up to me, Andrew.”

The name rolled off her tongue so smoothly he wondered how his real one would sound like in that Irish lilt. Frank followed her out hot on her heels to find the ambient lights dimmed to suit the setting sun. Light chatter filled the premises, the aroma of hot food lingering in the air but he couldn’t take his eyes off the girl in front of her, swaying her hips in a power move. His smile widening when he saw her glare at a waiter, before moving closer to him.         They took their seats across from each other at the far back beside the floor to ceiling French windows. A perfect vantage point, Frank thought as he perused the entire room for any suspicious men. “So why’s a guy like you on Hump’r.” Her voice cut smoothly as she gestured for the waiter, a smirk playing on her full lips. “Excuse me?” His eyes followed her gaze and saw the pamphlet laid on their table. It listed everything from her hobbies to her job except for her photo. “Oh, just…you know a means to find…” he searched his brain for something but she beat her to it. “Meaningless sex?” The waiter chose that exact moment to appear. “A cheesecake for me, and a chocolate cake for my date.” She pressed the last two words, narrowing her eyes on him before giving me a sultry smile. God this woman was something.

His eyes shone with adoration and Alicia felt her inhibitions drop. She didn’t know why she had agreed for this dinner, or dessert but she would be lying if she said she wasn’t enjoying their banter. Months, it had been months since she had flirted with someone, more so, it had been years since she had flirted with someone so attractive. There was an air of self-assurance around him, a confidence which she had seen only a few carry. As if he knew how handsome he was but didn’t really need it, or rely on it to get his work done. “No fair.” He muttered but didn’t look upset, running a hand through his already messed up hair once the stupid waiter had disappeared. His eyes were wayward and she felt an itch to look over her shoulder. “What? Did you spot your sister at the bar?”

“Pfft, like that Catholic monster would ever touch alcohol.”

A slip. He hadn’t meant to say that and she knew it as soon as his eyes flickered to her, humour shining in them as they held the contact. She felt a small smile spread on her own lips. “So what are your strengths now that we know you can’t lie if someone put a gun to your head.” “Well then you’d be surprised on how often that happens.” He replied instantly and she couldn’t stop the chuckle that bubbled out her lips. “I’m a decent liar, it’s just that it’s not every day that I meet beautiful women whom I’ve to lie to.”

Frank knew he meant his words when her eyes now green under the strobe lights lifted up to meet his. Dimples showing on her pale cheeks as she raised a brow as if to say ‘smooth’.                     Soon they didn’t have to fish for topics as the conversation flowed freely between them, maintaining its playful nature as they dug into their respective desserts.                             And as Frank took his long delayed last bite he wished for more time.                                                                   Alicia didn’t want this time to end either and had half the mind to teleport back home and kiss Josephine for this wonderful idea. She fiddled with the last of her cheesecake crust looking Andrew in the eye, as she plopped it into her mouth.                          “It says here you dance?” she heard him ask as he called the waiter for the cheque. An invitation that Alicia wanted to jump on, but decided to play it cool. “It’s paid for already. Early bird gets the worm, or something like that.” She muttered instead, taking a dig at his tardiness but standing up nonetheless.

Frank smiled mirroring the one on hers’. He had half the mind to track this Andrew Parker down and kiss him for not showing up. They headed towards the makeshift dance floor the restaurant owners had created as a part of their patio outside. Fairy lights glittered on four wooden poles, a substitute for stars in the cloudy night sky, where couples danced wildly to the beat of the music inebriated from the expensive wine. Frank heard Alicia giggle loudly as he took her hand and pulled her into the madness.                                              “I thought you danced?” He teased her when she stepped on his toe twice in three minutes. “Everybody lies on their resume, I wanted to see what the fuss was about!” Her cheeks had gone red, clearly from the bottle of wine they had split and Frank couldn’t help but grin. She was letting her hair down, and from what little he had got to know about her in the last hour, he knew it was a rare sight to see. He didn’t remember the last time he himself had danced like that, without a care in the world. His guard lowered as he felt completely immersed in the moment, twirling her as they laughed together. Adrenaline thrummed in his veins from their proximity as her scent washed over him, like lemons and vanilla. Practical but feisty, just like her.

There movements had finally synchronized when his gaze fell on something and his blood turned to ice.

Rafael’s men lounging at the restaurant, talking to the manager, scattered between the people as they looked around…for him. Frank had completely forgotten about them, about why he was there in the first place.

Andrew’s grip on her arm tightened, and she looked up into his eyes. They looked so dark a brown that it reminded her of a steaming cup of coffee. Something she craved for every morning, what made her get out of bed in the first place and the thought warmed something inside of her. She intertwined their fingers and saw his head turn towards her, an unreadable expression on his face as he scanned hers', as if memorizing it. His fingers squeezed hers and he cupped her cheek gently. His palm callused, his grip unconsciously firm making her eyes fall shut. The beat of the euphoric music pulsing inside of her as she waited in anticipation. Cool and crisp the night breeze was laden with musk as she felt him trace crescents on her cheekbone and then lean into her ear.

“These red lips are too pretty to be smudged over an average sized, mediocrely efficient dick.”

He whispered slow, tickling the shell of her ear and making her smile broadly, a stroke of his thumb under her lips, before he pulled back completely. She kept her eyes closed maybe sensing what was coming and it brought a smile on Frank’s face too as he looked at her for the last time. Brushing his lips on her cheek and disappearing from her life as abruptly as he had entered it.