She orders a chicken and pasta dish while I settle on bolognese. Over our meals we exchange stories about our childhoods, favorite memories and best friends. She shows me pictures of her best friend Nicole, and I share the photos I took of my friends during a talent show last year to benefit charity. She tells me about growing up with a single parent. I tell her about my fascination with the postal service. We laugh merrily, still immersed in conversation long after our food disappears.

“Okay, I’m stuffed,” Emma announces. “Dessert is a must though, right? The seven-layer chocolate cake was the first thing to catch my eye.”

I grin, knowing the decadent option was going to be her choice. “We’d like the chocolate cake and a side of ice cream to go, please,” I say to the waiter as he collects the empty plates.

“Ice cream to go?” Emma asks. “Isn’t that counterproductive? It’ll melt.”

“Even better.”

“It sounds like you have a plan.”

“I always have a plan.” I pull out my wallet and take the to-go bag full of dessert items and the check.

“Do you want to split it?”

“Nope. I asked you to dinner. It’s my treat. We can split it next time.”

“I don’t spend money on myself very often, and that includes an expensive meal.”

“Hey. I never said I needed to eat at a restaurant like this every night. I wanted to take you somewhere nice for our first date. Drive-thru McDonald’s is fine by me.”

She wrinkles her nose. “I doubt you’ve ever eaten a quarter pounder in your life. How about we compromise and settle on tacos instead?”

“Deal,” I agree, signing the receipt and leaving a generous tip. “Let’s get out of here.”

At this point in the evening, I’d be getting ready for a raunchy fuck fest. Slipping my hand up a girl’s dress while driving back to my place, fingers slick with arousal and her withering against my leather seats. Do I have visions of Emma crawling over the center console, straddling me in the parking lot, dress bunching at her waist as I pull her tits free and pinch the nipples I really like? Fuck yeah, I do. I’d love to take her in a location where people can see, so they know I’m hers.

I also want to make sure she’s even cool with continuing our physical relationship. Technically, this was our first date. Does she usually sleep with guys after their first meetup? Is she pressured because it’s me and we’ve already done this?

“Are you doing anything else tonight?” I ask casually.

“Don’t you want to stay when we get back to my place?”

“This is new territory for us, and I want to make sure you’re okay picking up where we left off the other night.”