Chocolate Dreams Ch. 04

The fourth installment of my journey with Diane - my muse - as appropriately suggested by a reader. As before, you will have better context if you read the previous stories, but hopefully this one stands on its own if you don't. Hope you enjoy it!

The text message from Diane two days after the encounter with Mike and Jordan was short and succinct.

'Do you have time for me this Friday night?' Time for Diane? If I didn't, I would make time but as it so happened I was free.

'I always have time for you. What do you have in mind?'

'How about dinner at my place? Yes, I cook! Followed by an evening together?'

That sounded fantastic to me. Our brief moments together had been limited to work settings, and unusual circumstances. This would be the first 'normal' time we would have. I did wonder how an entire evening would go; so far the brief interludes were mostly about sex. Not that I could complain about that - the sex had been torrid (that was a perfect word for it), inflamed by a mutual attraction that went well beyond anything I had ever felt before.

OK, time to focus on texting back! 'That sounds perfect. Assuming you like wine, what kind should I bring?'

'Red wine girl here - that will go well with dinner. 7 PM OK?'

'Absolutely! I'm already looking forward to the evening.'

It had been several days since Diane's encounter with Mike and Jordan. I had checked on her a few times and she told me that any soreness had faded quickly, though she admitted to sitting on a cushion the day after the incident. That made me feel better on several levels - first, that I hadn't allowed her to experience lasting harm and second, that there were no lingering injuries to affect our evening together. The opportunity to finally be with Diane in an intimate setting was extremely exciting. I felt a bit like a 14-year-old anticipating his first date! Our time together so far had been relatively public and the office was certainly less than ideal for what I fantasized about when contemplating being with her.

The next day dragged on, an unavoidable barrier to Friday night. Luckily, I was busy enough that I couldn't obsess about the upcoming evening. Friday was another matter; I couldn't concentrate over my anticipation. 'You're a grown man,' I told myself. 'Relax!'

I saw Diane several times during the day; each time my heart sped up and my nerves went on edge. She was wearing a simple outfit - our office went casual on Fridays. She had on flat brown shoes, white slacks and a loose blue pullover top. On one occasion she walked by the glass walls of a conference room while I was in a meeting. She smiled and winked as she went by, quickening my heart rate and totally distracting me. I'm sure I would have been more relaxed if our relationship were better established, but as we were in the early days everything made my stomach lurch with apprehension.

I got a text from her at the end of the day, which on Fridays was an early 4PM to allow people a quick getaway for their weekend.

"Headed home to get dinner ready! See you in a few hours."

I sent back, 'See you then, can't wait.' I already had the address loaded into my phone navigation, redundant since I was quite sure I knew where it was.

It took me another 30 minutes to wrap things up and head back to my place to shower and change into fresh clothes. I dressed in what would be considered 'smart casual' clothes: Navy blue slacks, a white shirt with blue pinstripes and my black loafers. I picked out one of the better bottles of wine that I had, then thought about it and grabbed a second. You never know, I thought. Then I had an hour to kill before I headed over to Diane's with not much to do. I sure couldn't do anything that required focus because that wasn't in the cards right now. I settled on doing various mindless chores around the place - ironed a few shirts, tossed laundry into the washer, etc. - but stopped short of organizing my sock drawer. I waited until the exact minute when I thought I would be on time but not early and then headed out.

The drive to Diane's condo took about 15 minutes but felt like two hours. There was a little tightness in my chest - anxiety? What was I worried about?! Get a grip!

Diane's condo was the second unit in a building that consisted of a cluster of four condos. Each had a one-car garage in front with a short driveway; there was a parking lot as well for other cars. I parked, checked the time - two minutes after seven - and hoping I wasn't expected to be fashionably late went up the walkway to the front door. I rang the doorbell and within seconds heard the hurried click of heels coming toward the door. As the door swung in Diane greeted me with a nervous smile.

"You found it! Come in!"

Diane was wearing an apron over what appeared to be a black cocktail dress, with high heels and black hose matching the dress. Her hair was done up in a bun and she had clearly applied more makeup than she wore at work. As she let me enter, I noticed that the apron had a picture of a French chef on it with the script "Kiss the cook!" above the caricature of the chef.

"Always happy to oblige," I said, nodding at the script as I moved close to her and kissed her. She moved against me and deepened the kiss for a few seconds but then broke away.

"I totally forgot about that," she said with a little laugh. "Dinner is almost ready, but it needs my attention, otherwise the cook would want more kisses. But then we might not ever get to dinner! Why don't you open the wine while I tend to things?" She nodded toward the kitchen where the table was set. A wine opener was there for me to use.

The first floor of Diane's condo consisted of a small entryway and closet, opening onto a good-sized living room with a fireplace set diagonally in the far corner. It was furnished in modern furniture with a gray-blue fabric, which blended nicely with the pale blue paint on the walls. The room was decorated tastefully, at least by my bachelor standards. The living room opened onto a kitchen at the far end; I could see the kitchen table and a sliding door that led onto a small deck outside. Walking to the table revealed the rest of the kitchen, where Diane was working on several things at once.

"Anything I can do to help?"

"Opening the wine is the priority, Lord knows I could use alcohol after this week," she answered.

"It has been eventful," I agreed. "How do you feel?"

"I'm fine, no more aches and the bruises are gone," Diane answered as she bustled around the kitchen. She was slicing a loaf of French bread and buttering the slices with a butter/garlic mixture. Whatever was in the oven smelled delicious and had an Italian aroma, so I guessed garlic bread to go with that. I could see that there was a large bowl on the counter with a salad in it ready to serve. Finished opening the wine I poured it into the two glasses set on the table. I took one of the glasses over to where Diane was working at the counter and set it down next to her.

"Your wine, m'lady," I said jokingly.

"Thank you, kind sir," she answered quickly. "Almost done here."

Taking advantage of her focus on the bread I slipped behind her and put my hands on her waist. Leaning forward I lightly kissed the nape of her neck.

"Mmmm," she purred, leaning back into me. "Nice, but you're very brave, taking liberties with a woman when she has a knife in her hands."

"Just shows you what dangers I'm willing to risk for you," I answered, kissing her neck again.

"Dinner first, danger later," she replied, slipping away from me. "I've put too much effort into this meal to have it ruined by distractions, no matter how tempting they might be."

"It certainly smells very good," I told her. "If it tastes half as good as it smells, it will be fantastic. A great meal, a very nice condo that's been decorated impeccably - who knew there was this domestic side of you?"

"Ha, ha - just don't tell anyone at work," she told me. "It would ruin my image."

We both smiled at this; Diane's image at work was hardly that of a sweet little housekeeper. She was considered a smart but challenging person, strong-willed and stubborn. I frankly had never considered what she might be like in a home setting - so much to learn.

She was now at the oven, removing what looked like a beautifully golden lasagna and putting it on the stovetop. She reset the oven to broil and, pointing to the aluminum sheet with the garlic bread on it gave me my next assignment.

"I'm going to freshen up while the lasagna sets up a little," she said as she walked out of the kitchen. "Pop that in the oven to brown it but watch it carefully; don't let it burn!"

With that she was out of the room and headed up the stairs to the second floor, where I presumed her bedroom was. I put the tray of garlic bread into the oven to broil - briefly! - and waited for it to brown. I could hear the faint sounds of footsteps above me as Diane freshened up and wondered what the evening would bring. It looked like we would have an incredibly good meal in any case, and hopefully much more. I opened the oven door and looked at the garlic bread; it was almost done, another minute more at most. I was taking it out as I heard Diane coming down the steps. My back was to her as she entered the kitchen. Putting the baking sheet on the stovetop I turned to see her standing in the entryway to the kitchen. The apron was gone, giving me a full view of a classic black cocktail dress, scooped low at the neckline to reveal the swell of her upper breasts and lovely cleavage. The dress fit her nicely at the waist, flowed over her hips and ended about two inches above her knees. She had on the same black stockings and high heels as before. The only other change was that she had let her hair down and curled it slightly. The darkness of her hair went beautifully with the black outfit and her fair skin.

"Wow," I said in reaction as she struck a pose. "You look fantastic - I feel very under-dressed."

Diane walked over to me and gave me a quick kiss. "You're fine," she told me. "I just felt like getting dressed up for you on our first official date. But don't get spoiled, this is as good as it gets," she said with a smile.

"I don't know how it could get better," I answered. As I said that, my mind went to a scene where she had considerably less clothes on, but I was smart enough to compliment her now. And she deserved it - she looked absolutely beautiful.

"Thank you, sir," she said with a slight curtsey and a smile. "Now, may I offer you dinner?"

"Let's eat," I replied. "Everything smells and looks wonderful."

After we had dished food onto our plates at the kitchen counter, we sat facing each other across the narrower dimension of the table. Conversation was light and pleasant, two people who were very attracted to each other, but knew very few details about each other's lives. I did know that she was 27 years old to my thirty-two, but learned that she was the oldest of two, with a younger sister. I was the oldest of three, with a brother and sister. We agreed that the oldest was definitely the best in pretty much every family. Diane wasn't particularly athletic, some swimming in high school, though her trim figure belied that. She did like to read and play video games, but not the violent ones. We both liked to travel, even though work travel had taken all of the glamor out of airlines and the whole process of getting from here to wherever.

We each drank a glass of wine with dinner. When the meal was done, we agreed to forgo dessert for now, avoiding the risk of being too full. Instead, I helped clean up the dishes and put away the leftover lasagna, and then poured another glass of wine for each of us.

"That was a fantastic meal Diane," I told her. "You're full of surprises: a lovely professional woman and an excellent cook!"

Diane blushed a little and thanked me for the compliment with a little curtesy.

"Why don't we go into the living room," she suggested, and I followed her to the couch that sat facing a wall with a fireplace in the corner. She used a remote to turn on the gas flame, and the result was a very cozy setting. We sat next to each other, each took a sip of wine and placed our glasses on the coffee table in front of the couch. We both knew what each other wanted at that point, so there was no awkwardness between us as we came together to kiss. The kiss started with us turned toward each other but continued with Diane turning into me so we could kiss more comfortably. Her hand went around my neck while mine went to her waist to pull her into me.

From that point, the kiss deepened and became more passionate. Finally coming up for air I trailed my lips across her jawbone and down onto her neck to nuzzle her there. Her breath quickened in response, most definitely the desired result! My hand went up her back to hold her as closely as I could, feeling her body through the fabric of the dress, firm and real. Her hand went to my chest and ran across my shirt, feeling the tightness of my upper body. We found each other's lips again and kissed passionately once more, only stopping when we both had to breathe.

"There's something magical about kissing you," I told her. "I don't think I will ever get enough."

"That's good," she answered, smiling and tossing her head to flip her hair back. "Because I feel the same way about kissing you." As if to prove our sincerity to each other we melted forward into another kiss. My senses were flooded with the feel of her and the scent of her perfume as I drowned in her lips. As passion built our caresses became more intimate. My hand moved around her side to her left breast, moving across the soft mound gently at first and then with more intensity. I felt her nipple harden under my hand and Diane moaned softly while we continued to kiss. I felt her hand on my neck, pulling me into her and stroking my skin at the same time. My hand slipped down to her hip and then to her dress-covered leg. When I reached the hemline and felt the texture of her stocking Diane broke away, breathing rapidly.

"Why don't we go upstairs?" she said huskily. "You did say something about me and a bed once, as I recall."

"What a wonderful idea." I answered. "I was hoping a bed would come up in the conversation."

We parted reluctantly and stood, gathering ourselves from the moment on the couch. There was no thought of bringing our wine glasses with us; we wouldn't need those for a while. At least that was my hope!

"Lead the way," I suggested and motioned to the steps that I assumed went to bedrooms upstairs. Diane went first, holding my hand to trail me behind her. She let go at the steps and started up, with me following not far behind. Pausing for a moment she asked, "Can you take your shoes off, please? The carpet is white up here and I'm trying to keep it clean." I didn't ask about the spiked heels she was wearing but kicked off my shoes and quickly followed her. Glancing upward I had a fantastic view of lovely legs that traveled up to a shapely dress-covered backside. As if reading my mind Diane glanced back at me.

"Enjoying the view?" she asked with a little smile.

"Absolutely," I told her. "You have a very nice condo here."

"Good try," she answered tartly.

"OK, I was admiring the dress from this angle," I suggested. "And of course the way it fits you."

By then we were at the top of the steps. There was a small hallway that had rooms on either side and a bathroom in the middle. I was sure both rooms were meant to be bedrooms, and Diane was obviously using one for that. From what I could see, the other was set up as a family room. I could see a couch and chair, which faced toward the doorway.

Before I could look further Diane took my hand and led me into the bedroom. It was a decent-sized room that easily managed the queen-sized bed, a dresser and two night-tables. There were tasteful pictures on the wall, and the bed was made up with covers and decorative pillows the average guy wouldn't have thought to use.

"You have great taste," I observed.

"Thank you," she said, turning to me and moving in for a kiss. My hands went to her waist to hold her and moved to her lower back to hold her even closer. As we kissed her hands went to the top button of my shirt. She deftly undid it and moved quickly down to the next. I reciprocated by reaching up to unzip her dress, but she broke the kiss and moved away slightly.

"You first, she instructed me. I have a special treat in mind for you and I have to stay dressed for the full effect."

"A strip tease and lap dance?" I said half-jokingly.

"Something like that," Diane replied as she continued to work her way downward. She had reached my pants and quickly undid my belt and the button at my waist. She zipped my fly down with a dramatic jerk, all the while looking into my eyes and smiling slyly. With my help she took off my shirt, undershirt and trousers. She pushed me back so I was sitting on the bed and took off my socks, leaving me in my boxers. When I started to take them off she stopped me.

"Let's leave them on for now," she said.

Standing in front of me she asked, "So, for my surprise I need you to trust me. Do you?"

"Sure," I answered, hopefully without the slight hesitation I felt.

"Good!" she exclaimed. "Now, I need you to lie back while I put something on you."

She opened the drawer of the end table next to us and took out two sets of fur-lined cuffs that each had a strap and loop, meant to be attached to something.

"I don't know.." I started to say but Diane interrupted me.

"Trust, remember?" she asked. "I promise this will be memorable, and in a good way."

I held out my wrist for the first cuff, gauging how easily I could break free of it if need be. Diane put it on me and looped the other end over the bedpost. Then she ran around the bed like a little girl with a new toy and did the second cuff. Putting that one over the bedpost required me to lie on my back with my arms spreadeagled. At least my legs are free, I thought.

"Perfect" Diane said as I lay there. "Now I think you deserve a treat for your cooperation."

With that she moved to the side of the bed near me and gave me a sexy smile. Her hands moved up over her upper thighs to her hips and then slid up the front of her to cup her breasts.

"You look so yummy lying there like that," she told me. "I'd like to have my breasts rubbing on your chest right now but I'm enjoying the anticipation too."

Diane's hands moved up from her breasts to her neck, and then behind her neck to the zip on the black dress. She began lowering the zipper with the remarkable flexibility that women have, turning as she did so her back was to me. As the zipper went down the dress parted to show the fair skin of her upper back, then the black of an undergarment. When it came to the bottom she reached back up to her shoulders and pulled the dress forward to reveal her bare shoulders. Whatever she was wearing underneath was strapless, I surmised.

Diane looked back over her shoulder to make sure she had my attention. Was there any doubt? My cock was making a tent in my boxers, and she smiled as she looked there.

"How's your treat so far?" she asked.

'It's great," I told her. "You could do this professionally."

"No, private shows only and then only for a one very special client."

She let the dress slip down her back, showing the rest of what appeared to be a corset. It stopped just below her waist and more bare skin was visible. She paused there for a moment for effect, then let the dress slide down across her rear. From the thin line of fabric there I presumed she was wearing a thong, because all of her beautiful ass was exposed. Diane shimmied a little and then let the dress fall to the floor. Her legs were bare until mid-thigh, where her stockings began. She stepped out of the dress, giving me the full effect of her outfit from behind.