Game On

Anna had made a decision. Tonight she was not sleeping alone. It had been eight months since she had parted with her long time on again, off again boyfriend and she was tired of hanging out and hoping someone would make the first move. She was done with happy hours that were not exactly happy.

She was done with blind dates and online dating. She wanted to feel a man’s warm skin under her hands; she wanted his firm warm hands on her body. She wanted to taste and kiss and caress. Her body ached for the intimacy – the connection one could not achieve whilst going it solo.

At this point, Anna admitted ruefully she might be tempted by just about anyone – who was clean and could at least string a few sentences together. But she knew she had someone specific in mind – who she hoped she could convince to take a chance and have some fun. She had met Will a few months before she had sent ex-boyfriend packing. Will was well dressed, well traveled, smart and oh my God sexy. He had been very pleasant to her, whenever they were in the elevator together and he had seemed interested the first time they met – until he had learned she was taken and then he had adopted the gentlemanly air, the forced honorable distance – which only served to make him that much more attractive, darn it.

So tonight – tonight she was going to do her best to convince him that being a gentleman was no longer required nor desired. She planned to crash the little happy hour he and his buddies had every Friday night. She had observed them and knew the routine and she figured if she timed it right – she just might be able to convince him to take a chance.

All the cards were in her favor. She knew he lived uptown and she lived just around the corner. She knew the boys generally had a few drinks and stayed in the bar for about two hours before calling it a night or at the least going their separate ways. Carlo, the bartender has been very forth coming, when she had quizzed him. She was a woman with a plan, a short little dress and an agenda, which include breakfast tomorrow if she was lucky.

Leaving the office just a bit early she had hurried home showered and dressed – a very cute and slightly clingy matte jersey wrap dress. A dress that showed all her assets in the very best of ways; it glossed over her hips and the neckline served to show off her breasts – just enough – not in your face boobs but created a nice view all the same. She had taken extra care with her hair – creating a nice sloppy twist – it invited touch. She had been light on the make up, just enough to enhance. Her shoes were new and very cute and the heel was not too high. She needed to be comfortable and stable on her feet.

She had arranged with Carlo – to help her with her ruse. It helped that Carlo was dating her neighbor – Mike. He had been a huge help in this situation. He and Mike had given all sorts of pick up line and ideas – the other night while they shared a bottle of wine.

Taking a deep breath as she entered the bar – she paused and caught Carlo’s eye – he nodded and she walked on. Feeling very nervous – this was such a bold step – but she knew what she wanted and more specifically she knew whom. Will had occupied a prominent place in her nightly dreams for over a month and she was ready to make dreams come true.

Walking up to the bar, she sat down, leaving a stool between she and Will. Carlo was already there, laying down a napkin and asking for her drink order. She made show of setting down her little clutch purse and saying that she would wait she was expecting someone.

Carlo nodded and told her to just let him know.

Anna sighed and took out her phone and pretended to read a text message. Then she looked over at Will and pretended to just notice him, when in fact she had been very tuned into him from the minute she had walked into the bar. He drew her or at least that is what she told herself.

She smiled and said quietly, “Hi Will. How are you?”

If Will was surprised to see her or happy for that matter he did a great job of guarding those emotions; he merely nodded and tipped his glass in her direction.

Not the grand reaction she had hoped for, but then Anna reminded herself silently that anything worth having sometimes took superhuman effort to achieve.

She smiled at him and then turned her gaze back to her phone. Pretending again to read a text message.

This went on for a bit. Carlo returned to see if she wanted another drink. She told him no loudly enough that Will could here. She emphasized that she was waiting on someone and apparently he was running late.

After about twenty minutes, which is a short time really, but while sitting in the bar pretending to wait on someone, when the someone you want to drag back to your place and have nasty hot sex with is one stool away, the minutes really do seem to tick by in the same way cold honey clings to a spoon in the winter.

Suddenly her phone rang and she answered. “MMMM, uh-hu,” she muttered. “Oh, well sure I see. I was not sure. Yes, well I see. Ok, yeah maybe another a time.”

Looking as sad as she could, given that it was Carlo on the other line telling her to hurry up and get Will out of there and take him home and get down to business already, she hit the end button on her phone and slipped it into her purse.

Looked up and signaled Carlo.

“I will take a Cosmo, light on Cranberry, please.”

“Sure thing miss. Tired of waiting?” he asked her brightly.

“I guess he is not going to make it. Something came up.”

Carlo nodded and set the drink down in front of her. Then totally unscripted and a bit naughty, he smiled and said, “Well his lose honey, you are worth canceling whatever came up and rescheduling it to next week. Man must have issues with priorities.”

Anna smiled wistfully. Carlo was just so sweet. He was alluding to her on again off again – when I have time boyfriend of eighteen months. The one who routinely stood her up or canceled at the last minute. Trust Carlo to not only play the part – but to secretly buck her up in the process.

Taking a deep breath, she decided to go for broke. She had made it this far, she might as well play her duce and hope for the best.

Sliding over a stool to sit next to Will, she said. “So how have you been Will?”

As opening lines went it was not the sharpest – but she was winging it now. She had never picked anyone up in a bar; she had never deliberately targeted anyone. She had always floated through life and taken what had come her way, but now she wanted Will and she meant to have him.

He smiled and said nothing.

Ok this was going to be harder than she thought, apparently.

“I did not know you lived around here? I thought Meg had said you were an Uptowner.” After forcing this question out, she took a healthy sip of her drink. Trying to look polished and sophisticated, when she was actually shaking like a leaf.

“Yep I live Uptown. I was here with the guys. I should be heading out. There is a game on tonight. I had planned on some take out and the game.” Will stated flatly, looking at his watch and then returning his gaze to his beer. Then he took a draw and swallowed.

Anna had to stifle a gasp, he had big hands and his shirt was cuffed and his arms looked strong. Wow it had been too long if she was getting all hot and bothered just looking at his hands.

“Ah, yes a game. That sounds nice; a quiet evening in. I was supposed to be meeting someone for a drink. I just live around the corner. Another set up gone wrong I guess.” She said casually and then took another drink from her Cosmo. All the while thinking this was getting her exactly nowhere and the Cosmo was going to get her a bit drunk, since she had not eaten since lunchtime. Brilliant Anna, she chastised herself inwardly – oh the best the laid plans.

So subtle conversation was getting her nowhere, but sitting this close to Will was getting her hot and wet and this was so silly. She should just be direct and tell him to skip the game the and come of to her place, but that seemed - well direct and while she wanted to be direct she decided maybe she would try some body language and see if that got her any further.

Shifting on the stool, she turned her body closer to Will’s and rested her right heel on the rung of his stool. This caused her skirt to ride up just a bit more and maybe it hinted at the stockings she on underneath and maybe it did not. To draw attention to her thigh, she let her hand rest on her leg just above her knee. She leaned in a bit closer and smiled at him.

With her movement, Will had shifted slightly and now they were looking at each other. His eyes seemed to have deepened – or at least that is what Anna told herself, as she rested her other hand on the bar near his beer.

She smiled again and decided that this was her moment. Clearly it appeared she had his attention.

“So are you seeing anyone, Will?”

“No Anna, I am not, you?”

“No Will I am not. It appears whatever it was – it was more compelling than having a drink with me. Seems a routine occurrence. But I will say this. I have learned a good deal and baring a verifiable act of God. I only allow one bite at this apple. I am worth the time.”

“Ah, well yes I can see that.”

“Yes Michael used to think I was a whenever he had time or the inclination kind of girl.” She looked into his eyes and smiled. “But I know better now and honestly, I am worth the time.”

With that she shook her head a bit, causing her hair to slip a bit from the messy twist. As she looked up she saw it. The look she was hoping for. The flash, Will was not immune to her. He had been watching her carefully. She felt it and she felt the change in the air around them. Good, it would make step two that much easier.

“Would you like another drink?” she asked as she motioned to his nearly empty beer bottle. She felt assured he would not. Carlo had been very specific about just how much Will generally drank. As she finished her questions, she leaned in and moved her hand from her thigh to his. It was a bold move, but Anna was not in the mood to wait any longer. She had had just enough Cosmo to get over the little bit of nerves she had had and she was not going to let him get out of the bar without knowing what he could have instead of take out and the game on TV.

Slowly she began to make circles on his thigh as she started to say, “You know, I live just around the corner. There is a great little Thai place on the way. I know nothing about the game – but, um, well we could watch it at my place or I can think of other games, which might be a bit more fun.”

If she had shocked Will, he did a decent job of hiding the fact. He did not look like he might swallow his tongue – which she admitted ruefully would be a damn shame. She could think of so many other things she would like to see him do with his tongue.

“You know we could play truth or dare, maybe twenty questions, that is fun or I think I have a deck of cards and I have to say, I play a mean game of poker, but instead of trying to take your paycheck, I would settle for strip poker.”

Anna made a big show of looking him up and down and then she said with a very sexy smile, “I think you are wearing more than me anyway, so that gives you an edge.”

Then she leaned back and took her hand from his thigh and took another drink of her Cosmo.

She kept her eyes on Will. He had a great poker face, she had to give him that much. No shock and no excessive salivating either. Damn, this was harder than she had thought it would be and she had jumped in with both feet – so there was not really much more she could do, short of taking off some clothes and that just seemed to boarder on desperate. Which she was not. She was hot and she wanted Will, but she was not desperate.

So she settled back and kept her eyes on him and finished her Cosmo in three sips. This felt a bit like chicken; each of them waiting on the other to blink. Anna was prepared to just see how taken he was with her invitation.

Finishing her drink she waved at Carlo and as he approached she turned to Will. “Well this has been fun. Enjoy your game.”

She stood slowly, to the left of her stool, and said, “See you around Will." and then she knocked her purse onto the floor.”

Bending down to reach it, she did so slowly and with deliberate grace. Moving very slowly and in a way that she hoped said sexy. As she came up, she felt a male hand on her back and then warm breath against her ear, “You had me from the minute you sat down, but I have to say, this little game of yours – has been the best foreplay ever. Let’s skip Thai and just head back to your place. I suddenly have a game I am just dying to play.”