The Next Level

“You’re one fascinating woman, Eunice,” Sam says mysteriously.

“More fascinating than any woman you’ve had lunch with before?” I venture.

“Absolutely,” he answers promptly.

“Hmm… Why me?”

“What?”

“Why me, Sam? Out of all the sexy, hot famous women you could invite to lunch today, why did you choose me?”

He chuckles. “You make it sound like I’m some shallow bum, roaming the streets in search of random starlets to date.”

“Aren’t you?”

“That’s what the media say I am. But I’m sure you know you shouldn’t believe everything you hear about people you don’t know.”

“Well said,” I say and raise my glass in a mock salute to him.

Sam sips his drink instead while watching me thoughtfully. It’s as if he’s trying to decide whether to defend himself or just let the topic slide.

I take another sip of wine, and the glass becomes empty. Gosh, the wine tastes so good! I feel even bolder than before.

“And now, here I am,” I say with a slight unintentional drawl, “drinking this expensive wine with you in your expensive house, wishing you would lay me out on this table and eat me instead of that boogie meal you just asked for.”

I look over at Sam and see him staring at me with a strange expression on his face. He slowly laid down his wine glass and leaned towards me.

“Are you drunk?” He asks me.

“Me? No,” I respond with a giggle.

“Why didn’t you tell me you don’t drink? I would have asked for a non-alcoholic wine instead.”

“Trust me, Sam, I’m not drunk,” I say almost confidently. “I don’t drink much, but it will take more than a glass of expensive wine to get me drunk.”

“Are you sure?” He sounds uncertain. “You sound a little…”

“I’m good, Sam. Sorry,” I add, now feeling awkward.

“Don’t be sorry. I just wanted to be sure that you’re fine,” he says tenderly.

“Oh, I’m fine,” I say with a wave of my hand to let him know it’s no big deal. “May I have more wine, please?”

He gives me a dubious look and says, “I’m not sure that’s a good idea. Our food will be here in a few minutes. I’d rather you eat that than have more wine.”

The alcohol in me is giving me the boldness that I don’t naturally have.

“What? Afraid that I might spill more dirty little secrets in my head?”

“Eunice – “

“Or are you worried that another glass of wine will make me jump you and ravish you as they do in movies?” I ask, cutting him off. “Funny, I was thinking about that earlier.”

Sam’s face dissolves into a slow smile. “I kinda like this version of you, even though I’m not entirely sure if I should take you up on your offer.”

“What offer?” I ask coyly.

“You know, the offer about you ravishing me like a movie character.”

“Oh, that,” I say with a grin. “You would love that, wouldn’t you?”

“Very much,” he replies honestly.

“Where’s your bedroom?” I ask him.

He blinks at me in surprise. “Are you being serious?”

“What do you think?” I ask suggestively. I’m feeling super confident right now.

“I think I want to hear you say what it is you have in mind.”

Smart guy, I think with an internal chuckle. He still thinks I’m drunk. Am I?

Austin shows up just then with a platter of food, followed by a female kitchen staff member. As they approach the dining table, Sam holds up a hand to stop them.

“Take that back, Austin. We’ll let you know when we’re ready to eat,” He instructs them.

Austin and his colleague hesitate a moment and exchange puzzled glances. With a nod of acknowledgment, they return to the kitchen with their loaded platters.

Once we’re alone again, Sam pins me with a narrow-eyed gaze. I stare back confidently, waiting for him to make the next move.

“I think we should take a tour of the house before we eat, yes?” He asks me with a seductive glint in his eyes.

Well, well. I guess I’ve poked the bear now, haven’t I? I reach over and pick up his wine glass, then I drain its remaining content in one gulp.

“Hey, easy with the wine,” he says with an indulgent laugh.

“Let’s go,” I say with a grin. “I can’t wait to see what you have to show me.”

He only hesitated a moment, probably to make sure that I meant what I said. With no further words exchanged between us, I let Sam lead me out of the dining room. Our lunch date is about to get spicy.

As Sam takes me by the hand and leads me out of the dining room, I’m excited and a little apprehensive. The wine seems to have toned down my inhibitions, so I can’t wait to see what the next couple of minutes will bring.

We climb one of the large, windy staircases leading to the top floor of the house. I am bemused to note that the steps are way more than I had expected.

“This staircase goes on forever,” I remark as we continue to climb.

Sam replies with a short laugh. “You’ll get used to it,” he says.

I don’t know what he means by that, but now is not the time to ask silly questions. I just want to see if the upstairs is as beautiful as the ground floor.

When we arrive upstairs, I am greeted with the most lavishly decorated living room I have ever seen in my life. In fact, it is bigger than the one downstairs – it’s like a stadium!

“Goodness me!” I exclaim in awe. “This place is even more amazing than the living room downstairs.”

“Yes. I had nothing to do with it, by the way,” Sam tells me casually.

The extravagance of the place doesn’t seem like a big deal to him. How does one get used to this kind of opulence?

The room is done in gold, off-white, and cream-colored furniture. The large Oriental rug on the floor features intricate designs in crimson, brown, and gold.

“Wow…” I gush in awe as I continue to take in the beauty of the place.

There are several paintings on the walls, and a grand piano is stationed beside one of the double doors that lead to a wide balcony. The floor-to-ceiling windows usher in a generous amount of natural light from outside.

“This part of the house is the handiwork of my bestie, Paula,” Sam explains.

“She enlisted the service of one of her friends to design this place like an Arabian palace, so this is what they came up with. Very over-the-top if you ask me.”

The part about a woman being his best friend is not lost on me, but I swallow my reservations and paste a big smile on my face. It’s way too early to start getting jealous. He’s not even my boyfriend yet. So…