The Awakening of Angel Ch. 08

Instead of asking the questions I just reached out my hand and touched hers and looked directly into her eyes and quietly said, "Thank you."

For a moment I saw a distant far-away look in her eyes like she was reliving memories past. I believe vets call it the 'Ten Thousand Yard Stare'. Her eyes got misty for a moment and then she simply nodded and smiled. It was a very touching moment for me because she opened her soul to me, howbeit all briefly. I felt honored that she had let me in for that short moment. Our conversation drifted off into idle girl-talk and we finished our drinks and headed home.

True to form there was a large box waiting on the front doorstep when we got back. We hauled the box in and both gasped at the contents. Inside was the most gorgeous red Christian Dior dress that I had ever seen, and it was accompanied by matching Prada stiletto heels and handbag. It was all topped off by a Tiffany diamond cluster necklace that was almost blinding to look at. I stood there with my mouth agape. There was also a note attached with a spa appointment and a limo pickup time. The note ended with, "Dinner date".

I was beside myself when I arrived at the spa. It seemed in some ways that maybe my training was over and this was a graduation reward. I was so proud of myself for accomplishing what I had. To add to the elation was the revelation by the spa receptionist that my day included full depilation. Yay! I could finally get rid of all the hair. Although I must say I had gotten used to it and in a sense it was freeing to not have to be constantly removing it. It had the effect of making me blatantly aware of how much influence culture has on our behavior. It also taught me to not be as concerned about what others think. It's really all quite stupid when you think about it. What's really so disgusting about female underarm hair? Nature put it there for a reason and now we decide a woman is ugly because she has it? There's no logic to that.

Now I will admit that I like having soft smooth skin and I think most American males like it in their women too, but I've learned it's just cultural conditioning and my beauty is not determined by external sources or standards. And I must tell you that this revelation was very liberating. So off came all the hair along with a full day at the spa and seven o'clock saw me dressed to kill and getting in the limo. To say my confidence was high would have been an understatement.

Tillman

My driver would be dropping her off at the restaurant shortly and the hostess had instructions to seat her at a table in the middle of the dining room. I would not be arriving until about a half an hour later. There is always method to my madness, as you will eventually see.

Circe

The limo dropped me off at an upscale restaurant. Not one of those chain places but one that would be called a bistro. This one happened to be a Michelin Four Star place and certainly the fanciest and most expensive place I'd ever eaten at. Oh forgive me, dined at. I'd half expected him to meet me at the door but he wasn't there. I told the hostess my name and she took me to a table and told me that Mr. Tillman would be along shortly. Within a few moments the server arrived and I told him I was waiting for someone.

Five minutes went by and then ten. I was a little worried that he might not show. Then another ten minutes went by and I started to get annoyed. Nobody does this to a date. I started to feel really self-conscious in that bright red outfit in the middle of the room all by myself. At five minutes to eight he came strolling cockily across the dining room and seated himself across from me.

"Good evening Miss Circe. So good of you to join me this evening. For tonight you may call me Mr. Tillman."

What! No apologies for being late? For embarrassing me in public? I was fuming mad but decided to push it down.

"Thank you for inviting me tonight Mr. Tillman, I look forward to the evening."

Light conversation followed and he ordered some very good wine. In my anger I probably drank a little too much, and too fast on an empty stomach. The server returned to take our orders.

"Sir, have you made your selections?"

"Yes I have. I will have the Steak Tartare and the lady will have the Lobster Thermidor."

I boiled over at that. "Excuse me! You don't order for me! Maybe that wasn't what I wanted! And who do you think you are being late like that and embarrassing me! I'm a grown woman and nobody tells me what to do!"

And with that, little ole firebrand me stood up and threw my napkin on the table and stomped my foot on the floor. The conversation in the room stopped and all eyes turned to me.

Tillman looked at me sternly and quietly but forcefully said, "SIT...down 'Miss' Circe."

The authority in his voice overwhelmed me and my actions mortified me to my soul. I plopped back down roughly in my chair in a most unladylike fashion. I wanted to crawl inside myself and die. I had way overreacted beyond the circumstances and I had made a fool of myself. Dinner arrived and I did my best to be humble but I was a horrible date. Tillman continued on like nothing had happened. He was being a true gentleman. To make matters worse, when the waiter asked about dessert, he asked me what I wanted. All I could do was shrug my shoulders like a brat feeling sorry for themselves. He ordered Crème Brulee and coffee and then turned his attention to me.

He scribbled a note on a piece of paper and passed it over.

"Get up and go to the ladies room and remove your panties. Hold them openly in your hand and bring them back to me and hand them to me across the table. There are going to be repercussions."

Shit, shit, shit! I have really screwed the pooch now. I must have gone as pale as the tablecloth but I dutifully went to the ladies room and promptly threw up a hundred and twenty-five dollars worth of wine and lobster. The attendant handed me a towel and then dutifully ignored me when I reached up under my dress and removed my panties.

I paraded back out to the dining room with my panties dangling from my outstretched arm. There were some hushed whispers from some women, undoubtedly remarking about my sluttiness or something similar. But I really didn't care. My mind was focused on the embarrassment I'd caused Tillman and what punishment he had in store for me. After walking what felt like a thousand miles I finally arrived at our table and handed him the panties. It was weird but when I did that I almost felt like I was giving myself to him. He took them and placed them in his pocket and gestured that I should sit and have dessert.

Again the evening resumed like nothing had happened. I did my best to be a good date but inside I was a wreck. I kicked myself over and over and decided that I deserved whatever punishment he doled out. And there he sat, perfectly refined and in control. In fact it felt like he controlled the whole room. I was in awe that after my spectacle he could be so calm and unfazed. Everything went into slow motion as I looked across the table at him. His perfectly manicured and yet scarred hands, taking surgically selected portions of the dessert. His steely eyes that never left me but invited me in rather than pushed me away. The way his jaw muscles clenched and flexed when he ate and talked. I was being drawn in like a leaf in a whirlpool.

"It's time to leave Miss Circe. Are you ready?"

That snapped me out of my whirlpool trance and all I could do was numbly nod my assent. He pulled out my chair for me which made me feel even more like a slug. We walked to the limo in silence and got in and as we pulled away from the restaurant I was at a loss as to what to do. Do I apologize? He already made it clear that I shouldn't do that. Make an excuse and blame the wine? I knew that was lame. In the end I decided the best course of action was to sit quietly with my hands folded in my lap and say nothing. Girl you have been one stupid bitch tonight! On one level I hoped he would teach me a lesson. I sure deserved it. On the other I was scared to death. Twenty minutes later we pulled up in front of the house where the 18th Century Ball had been. It was not one of my finer moments and also the place with the dungeon. I was pretty sure that the horsetail was going to pale in comparison to what was in store for me. I was scared and excited at the same time.