In His Arms
By: Faith Adeline

I stood by my door, biting my lip ring as I waited nervously for him to arrive. The metal pressed into my flesh as I spun it with my tongue, my eyes on the dark road. "What time is it?" I asked my mom. It was probably the twentieth time that phrase had passed from my lips.

"Thirty seconds after you last asked. Sit down Ellie, he'll be here soon."

I groaned and sank into the couch, my foot bouncing up and down quickly. Finally, I heard a door slam. I leapt off the coach and peeked out the window, gasping at the figure that was quickly approaching my door. "Fuck! He’s here! Oh, I can't do this. I-"

My mother walked over to me and put her hands on my shoulders. "Breathe Ellie, it's gonna be fine."

"But he's my boss! I shouldn't be doing this!"

"You like him, don't you?"

"Well. . .yeah, but-"

"But nothing. That's all that matters. Don't think about work, just go out and have fun." She smiled softly and tucked a stray tendril of my brown hair behind my ear.

I sighed and nodded my head. "You're right. As always. Alright, I can do this." The doorbell rang, and I shook my head. "I lied, I can't do this."

She chuckled and opened the door, looking at Brian warmly. "Come on in," she told him.

He grinned, flashing her a one hundred watt smile. "Hello Miss Moore."

"Oh please, call me Linda."

He agreed, and then looked at me with his amazingly delicious brown eyes. "You ready to go?" He asked.

I took a deep breath and nodded my head. "Yeah. Night Mom."

"You have your key, right?"

"Yup."

"Alright, have a good night." She closed the door behind us, leaving me alone with Brian-a.k.a my twenty-five year old boss. Which, I was eighteen, so there wasn't that much of an age gap, but he was my boss. I still couldn't figure out why I had agreed to this, other than the fact I really liked him. Jesus, my head is going to implode from all my internal thoughts.

"So, what are the plans?" I questioned, trying to be as laid back as I could.

He put his hand on the small of my back and guided me to his car. His touch sent a shiver down my spine. "That, my friend, is a surprise."

I grunted, frowning slightly. "I hate surprises."

He laughed. "I know, but I'm hoping you'll like this one."

I turned to him and smiled softly. "I'm sure I will." Which wasn't a lie. The man was damn creative. I was sure he'd come up with a good first date. Or rather, I hoped so. I decided to change the subject to work, because that was a common ground between us. "So. . .is Ashley totally mad I got off tonight, even though she's been there longer and requested off?"

Ashley. . .one of the biggest bitches I'd ever met. If shit didn't go her way, she whined about it. She'd actually had the balls to call the owner of the bar and tell him that Brian, our manager, and me (who is but a lowly bartender) were getting it on in a closet during work. Maybe she didn't use those exact words, but still. I could've killed her. And in fact, wanted to. Very much so.

"She'll get over it," he replied with a smirk.

Ah. That meant yes, she was mad. Very mad. Fuckin' bitch. I sighed and laced my fingers with his free hand, laying my head against the headrest. He tightened his grip on my hand, squeezing gently. "I wish she would back off," I whispered.

"Hey, let's not think about that shit tonight, okay?"

I nodded my head and faced him, wondering what it would be like to kiss his oh so plump lips. A tiny blush crept its way to my cheeks and I cleared my throat, hoping it wasn't too noticeable. "Yeah, I agree."

...

I watched the town pass by us as we drove, the trees whipping past madly. My hand was still intertwined with his, comfortable against his skin. Finally, we came to a stop. I looked around, noticing we were surrounded by green foliage and grass that was whispering in the wind. "Uh. . .where are we?" I asked as I stepped out, my sneakers crunching against gravel.

"Couple miles from town. Come on," he grabbed my hand and started to guide me through the dense forest, swatting any bugs or branches from me.

At the moment, I was thanking the bright Lord above that I wore my sneakers. Going through the woods would've been hell with heels. I was busy wondering if I had stepped in deer shit, when the trees opened and we came upon a beach. I laughed, looking around in amazement. "Where did you find this?" There were quite a few ways to get to the beach, but I'd never heard of this particular rendezvous.

"I'm damn good."

I chuckled. "Guess you are." Before I could add anything else, I saw a boat. I frowned. "Why's there a boat out there."

He looked at me, his eyes twinkling. "That, my friend, is where our date is going to. . .commence? Would that be a good word?"

My mouth dropped open in shock, but I managed to murmur, "You such a geek. Oh. . .my. . .you got a freakin' boat for our date? A boat? Really?"

He led me to the side of the beach, near a small rock formation, where there was a canoe and oar set up. "Yeah, I did." He replied. "Now, ladies first."

I carefully climbed in and sat Indian style on the wood, shrieking when the canoe began to rock back and forth as Brian stepped in. "Oh my Jesus, we're going to capsize."

He chuckled and grabbed the or. "We're fine. Don't worry."

I hugged my arms close to my chest and shrugged my shoulders. "Whatever you say."

His face grew concerned and he reached over, touching my arm gently. "Hey, if you don't want to, we can do something else."

I immediately straightened and gasped, "No! I'm fine, I swear. I just. . .if we tip over, my mascara will run and I'll look horrible. Like a drowned raccoon or something."

He began to row, smiling at me as we drifted through the water. "But you'd be a cute raccoon."

I groaned and threw my hand to my knees, trying to hide the blush I was sure to be sporting. "You're insufferable," I told him.

"I do try."

...

It took ten minutes for us to reach the boat, and by that time, a man was sitting near the edge-a bright smile on his face. I recognized that face, and groaned. "Is that Mike?" I asked him.

He managed to smile sheepishly and replied, "It's sort of his dad's boat, so yes. He's our butler for the night, if you will."

I cracked up, my stomach aching from laughing so hard. Just seeing Mike-otherwise known as Brian's best friend-looking like a regular ol' sea man was enough to bust my balls. Figuratively, of course.

He held his hand out and grinned. "Help ya up, m'lady?"

I stared at him for a second. "Are you really going to talk like that the whole night?"

His grin only grew wider. "Why of course, m'lady."

I grunted and grasped his hand, squealing when he pulled me over the side of the boat onto the wooden floor. I steadied myself, and then grinned. I hadn't fallen in! Yay me! I would've thought with my unfortunate bad luck and tendency to be clumsier than a toddler, I would’ve fallen into the water face first. But I didn't. That was reason enough to celebrate.

I reached over to help Brian up, my hands holding onto his tightly. He swung a leg over, landing gracefully beside me. "You've got a lot of upper body strength for a girl," Mike said from behind me.

"Oh yeah? You should see me when I kick ass."

Brian laughed, looking like a Greek God under the soft moonlight. "Come on, dinner should be set up over here."

I walked with him, admiring the boat as we went. When he stopped, I put a hand to my mouth in a silent gasp. In a little corner on the boat, there was a table with two chairs waiting for us. On top of the table was two glasses for wine, and a pair of china plates-complete with silverware. On the opposite side, a stereo was playing from its place on the floor, filling the air with the soft sounds of a piano. It was amazing.

"You did all this?" I asked him quietly.

"Do you like it?" He asked, biting his lip nervously.

I looked at him, not sure what to say. No man had ever gone out of his way like this; it was amazing. "Like it? I love it," I responded truthfully.

He exhaled heavily and smiled. "Good, I was hoping you'd say that."

He held out a chair for me, and then pushed me back in. I looked at the bottle of wine as he sat himself down. "Let's open this puppy up," I told him.

"Oh, butler!" He exclaimed dramatically.

I hid my giggles behind my hand, laughing full out when Mike came out with a frown disguised as a smile. "This is gonna get old quick," he muttered, uncorking the bottle and pouring some into our glasses.

"Thank you, oh kind sir." I said to him, pretending to fan myself off.

He left, grumbling under his breath.

We both laughed, taking small sips of the wine. "So," he began, settling back into his chair, "what made you say yes?"

I arched an eyebrow, confused for only a moment. "I like you. Why would I say no?"

He chuckled softly. "You never cease to amaze me Ellie."

"It's a talent." I took another drink, swallowing it slowly. "Are you worried about what people at work will say?"

"Not really. Are you?"

"Kinda," I admitted sheepishly. "I mean. . .I'm new there. I'm already hated enough. I really don't want to add anymore fuel to the fire."

He looked down at the table, running over it with a finger. Then, he sighed and said, "I'm sorry. I should've known better. We shouldn't. . .this could be too hard on you. I don't want to make things difficult. I don't know what I was-"

I reached over and stilled his hand, smiling when he met my eyes. "If I didn't want to be here, I wouldn't be. I can handle a few assholes. Believe me, school was full of 'em. I'm a strong girl. Don't worry about me."

Before he could say anything, Mike came out with two platters balanced on his hands. "Dinner is served," he told us.

He set the platters down and lifted the tops, revealing pizza and macaroni and cheese. I laughed and said, "Oh my Jesus, you remembered!"

Brian grinned. "Pizza, macaroni and cheese, and rocky road ice cream for dessert. Your favorite meal. Of course I remembered."

My stomach growled as I loaded food onto my plate. "You can't be real," I muttered as I forked some mac and cheese. "Gah! This is am'zing!" I said, chewing quickly.

Brian merely smiled.

...

The moon shone down upon us, bathing us in white light. I was huddled close to Brian, my head on his chest; the boat bobbed peacefully on the water. My stomach was full of pizza, mac and cheese, and rocky road ice cream. It was all amazing, and probably one of the best meals I'd had in a long time.

I inhaled deeply, smiling as the scent of water and Brian's cologne wafted up. He always smelled amazing. I wasn't sure what he used, but it made me want to throw him against a wall and ravish him every time I smelled it. Not that I did. Well, I did in my head. Which sounds incredibly wrong, but feels oh so right.

"What are you thinking?" He asked, trailing a finger down my arm.

I thought about it, scrunching my face as I contemplated. If I tell him his cologne makes me want to ride him like a dog in heat, he might take it the wrong way. What to do, what to do. "I'm thinking about how this is possibly the best date I've been on. It's gonna be hard to top this."

"I'll find a way," he teased.

"I'm sure you will," I teased right back. I moved my head so I could see him, and gazed into those eyes. God, those eyes. Before I knew what was happening, I inched myself forward and pressed my lips to his.

He was hesitant for only a moment, his lips meeting mine with a fire I hadn't felt before. His tongue brushed against my lips, and I gladly deepened the kiss, reveling in the warmth of his body so close to mine.

We pulled apart for air, both of us breathing hard. I smiled and kissed him softly, biting his lip before I pulled away. He laughed and pulled me closer.

I closed my eyes, the rhythm of the water calming me.

"I'm glad you had a good time," he said quietly.

"More than a good time," I whispered back.

Then, I slept, his arms holding me strongly.