Cheshire/Batman Pt. 03: Third Date

No sooner had she finished that thought when she heard her Nokia ring from her purse. Unknown caller, said her grey screen.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's Bruce. I was wondering if you wanted to make a quick stop somewhere before dinner tonight," he asked.

"Depends. Where do you want me to go with you?" she responded. He loved the cadence of her accent.

"It's something that will remind you of Brazil. Is it stupid to have it be a surprise?"

"No, not really. But why does it have to be a surprise?" she pressed. She used a lighthearted tone of voice, but in truth, she was apprehensive about surprises in her love life. She didn't trust her instincts with men as much as she used to. He seemed like a guy who wouldn't present a weird surprise, but she wasn't sure.

"Well, when I first saw this, it was an unexpected detour," he paused, considering why it was worthwhile. "If someone had told me about it beforehand, I would have had time to develop cynicism about how it might not be cool."

"That sounds so intriguing. We have to go now, whatever it is!"

"Yeah. It's on the Upper East Side and I know the restaurant is on the other side of town, so maybe I could come get you?" he offered.

"Sure. Pick me up at my apartment," she told him.

"Ok. I'll be there at 7:00," he told her, knowing she wouldn't be ready until a bit later.

A little before 7:00, Jada was still putting together her outfit. She chose a strapless corset dress. It was teal fabric underneath with a black mesh overlay and bold black seams. Her shoes were patent leather black pumps. Some unseasonably warm days had melted the snow in the last week so she was able to wear heels without fear. They made her feel sexy. But she wasn't sure if she should send out that kind of vibe. Then, she got caught in an over-thinking sinkhole. She called Raquel from her landline phone and relayed her uneasiness.

"<Jada, trust yourself. Don't let Ayano ruin things for you. This new guy might be a disaster, he might not be. You've got to find out. You can't prevent disasters from happening most of the time, just trust that you will be able to handle them when they hit.<" Raquel told her in Portuguese. Raquel was so happy to be solicited for advice that it flowed from her freely and quickly. "<Just don't give all of yourself to him, and don't forget about your friends. You need a lighthouse, you can't see everything for yourself. Let me meet this one and spend some time with him. Let everyone meet him.<"

"<Yeah, I will. I'll bring him to capoeira soon.<" she promised. "<Um, I mean, if it turns into anything.<"

"<Okay, baby. Back to work.< Tchao!" Raquel said, returning to her busy restaurant kitchen.

"Tchao!" she said, hanging up.

THE GREENHOUSE

At 7:20, Bruce called to say he was downstairs. Grabbing her long black wool coat and beaded clutch, she went down and joined him in the limo. Bruce opened the door and made room for her.

"Oh my god, it's freezing out again!" she exclaimed as she got in and slid over on the seat to give him a hug and kiss hello.

"That's because you're not wearing pants." he said, returning her hug. After she gave him a peck on the cheek, he felt a small thrill. "Hi." he added, making very deliberate eye contact. He felt star-struck around her sometimes, like he was around a celebrity.

"Hi." she smiled coyly. "Where are we going?"

"East 76th street. By the river," he said mysteriously.

"Hmm. There's a museum around there... a theater... there's that big park..." she started to guess. Bruce raised an eyebrow at her last guess and she took it to mean that they would be going there. The driver pulled up to the west side of the park. There was a sign for an arboretum and a conservatory. For February, Orchidées du Brésil was listed at the conservatory.

"Orchids of Brazil? Why is it in French?" she smiled.

"The botanist was French," he explained.

"The orchids are Brazilian. I thought everyone was trying to pay attention to Brazil and save the rainforest these days. They should change it to Portuguese," Jada laughed, holding Bruce's hand as they walked up a stone path toward the exhibit. "So, why orchids?"

"You'll see. It's really cool." he told her. The sun had almost completely set. The lights in the park's lampposts were turning on. As they turned a corner, they could see a large glass building. He led her inside.

Suddenly, the room was 85 degrees and humid. They walked into an entryway with a second set of doors. Then, those doors closed behind them and the heat took hold. It took their bodies a second to realize the climate had changed so abruptly from the dry, bitter cold outdoors.

"Oh my god!" Jada said, taking off her coat and looking around. There were exotic plants, flowers, and butterflies everywhere.

"Cool, right? I mean, it's not the flowers. I'm not a botanist, but it's so amazing that they can make it feel like Brazil in here. It's like teleporting!" Bruce told her, removing his own coat.

"This is nice. It smells nice. I never knew about this place!" she said happily. She draped her coat over one arm and reached over to hold Bruce's hand as they walked through the small building. The paths were made of dusty terracotta tiles. There was a large fountain with a statue of a nymph and lily pads in the water. The water reflected the warm orange glow of the sconces on the walls. The plants, of course, were immaculate. Some were in the ground, others seemed to prefer their own pot of soil. The ceiling and walls were mostly made of glass panes; it was probably beautiful during the daytime.

"An old friend of the family told me about it. You'd think more people would come see it, especially in the winter. It's almost always empty," he said, looking over at her. Her dark hair was curled and fell just below her bare shoulders. The sheen of her lip color caught the light, almost looking suggestive in some way. Or maybe Bruce had just spent a lot of time thinking about her suggestively.

Jada was so thrilled by him, but she felt like something was blocking her. She couldn't give herself permission to move forward and feel okay about dating him. So, she turned to face him. It took a moment for her to think of how to talk about this.

"Bruce, this is really wonderful..." she sighed, not wanting to address her conflict but feeling like she needed to. "It's times like this I wish I had a big brother to shake down my 'suitors' and ask them 'what are your intentions with Jada?'" she laughed.

"My intentions are to follow you around and spend time with you until you explicitly tell me to stop. How's that?" he tried.

He held both of her hands now as they faced each other. She was into him, wasn't she? It was strange for him to be the one in this role of the wonderer.

"That sounds good, but I need to know..." she started. "I guess I don't want to do this unless you're going to be dating only me. I want to see where this goes, but I just don't have the energy to go on more dates and then see a picture of you in the paper with somebody else," she said, wondering if this would scare him off. And if it did, was that a good thing or a bad thing?

"I can date only you," he replied, standing still and squeezing her hands lightly. It honestly hadn't occurred to him to date anyone else.

"Is it super weird to ask that of you right away?" Jada said, knitting her brow and smiling in embarrassment.

"No, not at all. I'm glad. I would have been crushed if you were accepting dates from other guys." he said quietly. He started walking down the path again, holding on to one of her hands and intertwining it with his.

"Okay, good." she said.

"And speaking of which, now I get to ask: when was the last time you were in a relationship?" he asked, pleased that he had the opportunity to work this question into the conversation. He saw that Jada looked less than pleased.

"June. We broke up in June," she sighed, looking over at him briefly. He seemed really curious. "It was a bad breakup," she offered in place of a longer explanation.

"Were you together a long time?" he asked. She nodded.

"A little over two years. Well, two years and four months," she began, then paused for a while. "I don't know what else to say about it. Um, I never should have been with him. He really wanted me to reconsider the breakup for a few months..." she said, making a face.

"Was he bothering you? Is he still--" Bruce started to delve into the topic immediately. It sounded like she was using a euphemism.

"No, he seems to have decided to leave me alone," she said, trying to shrug off his concern with a wave of her hand.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to--" Bruce said, not wanting to make her feel bad. He wished she had given more details for him to research later.

"No, it's fine," Jada said. And surprisingly, it was fine. She felt better having addressed it, even if she didn't delve into every aspect of the relationship. "I'll make you talk about something really awkward later. What do you hate talking about?"

"Uh, The Gotham Gazette for starters. I'm sure this crossed your mind, but someone might take a picture of us together, and then write about the new lady in Playboy Millionaire Bruce Wayne's life," Bruce grimaced.

"Oh. Who reads that shit anyway?" Jada replied.

"You're saying you didn't see tons of shit about me on the internet?" Bruce asked with a playfully suspicious grin. Jada looked guilty.

"Well, then, who takes that shit seriously, anyway?" she clarified, smiling. She made a mental note to not give any reporter a reason to do any digging, lest they find out anything about Cheshire or even about Ayano. It was highly unlikely, but wouldn't that be a story: a love triangle with the millionaire, the latina bombshell, and the drug-crazed criminal?

"Don't worry too much about it. I mean, no one's written extensively about a woman that I've dated or anything. Knock on wood," Bruce said, rapping on a door frame as they strolled by it.

"In Brazil, we knock on wood, too, but it's kind of like 'God forbid.' We knock on wood three times or say bater na madeira if there isn't any wood." Jada told him. She talked about a few other superstitions in Brazil and it seemed to have changed the subject entirely, for which both of them were grateful.

AFTER ORCHIDS

Jada had chosen a Thai restaurant that she liked in her neighborhood. When she first started going there, the waitresses all asked her if she was Thai. She was used to being ethnically ambiguous in the eyes of some people. Now, the hostess and their waitress greeted her with a Portuguese phrase she had taught them.

"Oi, tudo bem?!" asked the hostess with a Thai accent.

"Tudo bom. Um... Sawatdee kaa!" Jada replied, then following the young woman to their table. This was a fairly upscale Thai restaurant, considered new and unique. Before pad thai had become a part of the American food lexicon.

"Right, this is your neighborhood, isn't it?" Bruce asked.

"Yes. I love it. I moved here in August, after I got back from Brazil."

"Oh, to visit your family?" he asked, picking up his menu.

"Yeah, I started an art thing, too. I went back twice since then," she said, smiling politely at the young man who filled their water glasses. "My stepfather runs this hotel, Céu e Mar. He asked me if I knew how to get a deal on a bunch of paintings for the rooms when he renovated. I told him I'd do him one better, so I found some local artists and made a deal for them to hang their work in the rooms. He doesn't have to spend any money and if the guests like the paintings, they can buy them. It's getting very popular! I really want to get more young people down there interested in creating art."

"That's great," Bruce said. A waitress approached them to take their drink order. When she left, Jada continued telling him about her projects.

"I started some other stuff, like free art classes for teenage girls there, too. There's a lot of pressure in São Paulo to, uh... a lot of young women don't know their worth. I just want them to get good at something other than makeup," she told him.

"You could change some lives with that," he said.

"It's nothing big, not yet. Your power plant will change many lives," she replied, taking a sip of her water and switching her attention to her menu. "They have this really good spicy lemongrass soup here."

Even though Jada started talking about the food, Bruce got her talking a little more about Brazil and her family. Toward the end of the night, Jada became intensely aware that it was their third date. Everyone knew that sex was expected on the third date. The air around them felt thin and electrified, as if it was making her lightheaded. He was really cute, she said to herself. She loved his square jaw. And he was built. His suit was tailored a little loosely, but she could tell that there were some biceps under there. She couldn't wait to get him home with her and start enjoying all the aspects of dating again.

COME UPSTAIRS

"Bruce," she said, as soon as her house was a few feet away. She stood in front of him. She took a few more steps toward him. Her heels made her only a few inches shorter than he was. She looked as if she was going to say something, but kissed him instead, then spoke to him only a few inches away from his face. "I want you to come upstairs."

"And I want to come upstairs," he said. "But don't feel like you have to invite me up because it's our third date. If you want me to, I can wait." He kissed her again. He wanted to sound respectful, probably because he felt guilty for seeing her naked and knowing so much about her. And it was a balancing act, to be respectful but still sound interested.

"That's nice," she said flirtatiously. Taking his hand, she brought him up the short set of steps. She opened the door and dropped her keys and purse on a table, then swiftly turned around to give him the look again. She played with the lapel to his peacoat in her gloved hands and then pulled on it to bring him closer to kiss him some more. Jada noticed how different their chemistry was- he was definitely interested in her, but placed not a single demand upon her. She let go of his coat and went towards the coat rack.

Jada lived in a single occupancy row house that was built in 1824. It was two stories, plus a basement. Her favorite features were the dormer windows and exposed brick. The entryway turned right into her living room and open kitchen. She hung up her coat and sat on the couch. He was hanging up his coat and scarf when he noticed the way she was sitting. She was sitting on the edge of the couch with her arms behind her, making her bust look more prominent and the seat next to her more inviting. Bruce came over and sat down.

"I like your place. It's--" Bruce started, but Jada was too sexually charged to chat with him. She gave him some heated kisses, but told herself to go slow. No matter how much she liked him, she probably shouldn't rip his clothes off. She felt his hands on her back as they made out. She ran her fingers through the hair on the back of his head. She just really, really liked this guy. And she hadn't fucked anyone in a while.

It was only a few minutes later that she started to unzip her strapless dress. As she reached the bottom of the zipper, she leaned back and covered herself with the top of her dress that was about to fall to her waist. She stood up, and turned to walk upstairs to her bedroom, looking over her shoulder at him before she continued on her way. Bruce smiled and followed her, appreciating the quintessential come-hither look. He saw her dress and accessories on the stairs on the way up.

When he got to the bedroom, Jada was kneeling on the bed in her lingerie. She wore a black strapless bra with scalloped edges, her bust threatening to spill over the top. The angle of her hips allowed him to see that she was wearing a matching black thong. Bruce approached the edge of the bed and sat down. Her bedspread looked like a vivid watercolor painting with stormy purples and blues. Jada came over to him, welcoming him with a passionate kiss.

At first, her fingers rustled through his hair. But as they continued to kiss, Bruce felt them unbuttoning his shirt. He helped her take it off him. Jada's hands were on his thighs, her body moving closer to him. Bruce could not stop kissing her for any possible reason. Nothing could happen to make him leave this room, he thought, so grateful he wasn't on-call for Batman activities. He caressed her neck and shoulders, letting her choose the pace. He could feel her thunderous heartbeat and smell her delicate perfume: a crisp lilac scent this time. Her moaning, her heavy breathing, the way she opened her chest to him-- he was being invited to go further. Between kisses, she leaned in, offering the hooks of her bra. Taking the hint, he unhooked it from behind and pulled it off. She made a quiet, breathy moaning sound in encouragement.

Bruce kissed her collarbone and between her breasts. At some point back on the island, he had given himself permission to fantasize about her and had done so regularly up until this moment. Now, he could have her. Now, as two different people, they could do whatever they wanted. She wouldn't know of his life as Batman yet. His secret was safe. Someday, he would have to make a decision about telling her, but that day was not today.

He took in her soft, pink nipples. Those luscious breasts he couldn't touch on that day he saw them outside the lagoon. They were so full and round; perfect. He looked her in the eye and smiled as if to say "holy fucking shit," letting her know how much he liked what he saw. He reached down to suck on each of her nipples, tenderly holding her breasts. She took a loud inhale, moaning as her nipples got harder. He continued to caress her body, his fingertips taking pleasure in all of the flesh that contained this amazing woman. He wanted to kiss her stomach and keep going, but didn't want to take the lead away from her.

Jada's hands ran up and down his muscular thighs until she needed more. She began to undo his belt buckle and moved her hips even closer to him. The moment her hands met the flesh of his cock, he let himself get completely hard for her. She moved her hand up and down his shaft as he moved her panties aside to find her pussy. They both became more excited as they felt each other's arousal. With one hand still massaging his cock, the other was holding the back of his neck, telling him to keep kissing her.

At this point of the foreplay, with Ayano, he would have been making her beg him to fuck her. Bruce had no need to dominate her. Jada gave him some more room on the bed and gently had him lie back. She reached into her nightstand for a condom as Bruce took off his pants and boxers and threw them on the floor. Jada took off her underwear, put the condom on him, and climbed on top of him. She hovered above his cock and spread her wet pink pussy for him. He aimed his cock upwards, easily sliding inside her. She showed him how good it felt: she cried out softly and appreciatively. She bit her lip and looked at him adoringly with her beautiful green eyes.

Her hips moved tentatively on top of him, their bodies trying to find a rhythm with each other. Using her palms on his chest to brace herself, she tried out some movements to see what felt best. Bruce was content to caress her thighs and let her work it out. She looked so gorgeous, her wavy black hair swaying as she moved up and down to meet his cock. She was so soft, delicate, and unguarded.

He felt her spread her legs slightly wider on top of him. She brought his hands to her hips and started to move faster. As a lover, she was very connected and attentive, watching his expression with each subtle movement. There was no apology on her face for liking sex. He felt his heart race faster and faster.