Madison Awakening

The waiter returns with our entrees, as the blonde comes out with another bottle of wine. Setting down the Coco Vin and Beef Bourguignon, they both perform their duties and leave as quickly as they came. The food smells divine and I can’t help but to close my eyes as I inhale the aroma from our feast.

“Glad to see you are happy with my choices.” Jonathan says, eyes dancing with amusement.

“Yes, they smell heavenly. Which one is mine?”

“Whichever you want. Whatever will satisfy your hunger best.” His words hang in the air between us and I try to refocus my attention on the food. I take a sip of the new wine to tame the energy building inside and reach for the beef dish.

“Thank you. I’ll take the bourgeon.”  

“Good choice. Dig in so we can get to dessert.” He replies calmly, but his eyes are burning.

“What’s for dessert?” I ask curiously. 

“Something sweet.” He states, giving me a seductive grin that causes me to scrim.  

I take a deep breath and begin my meal. The food is tender and succulent as I indulge, but then the thoughts start creeping in.  What am I doing here with this guy?  Mr. sex on a stick obviously has some plan. This is enjoyable, but definitely over the top.  Is this his typical move? 

Maybe because I haven’t dated in so long or because of the lavishness of the date in general, I’m internally spiraling at the unknowns of this situation. I put my fork down, grab my wine and take a healthy swig.  I look at him with steady, determined eyes as he continues devouring his Coco Vin.

“Jonathan, why are we on this date? You spent your time seeking me out. Why would you do that?” I ask with tempered bluntness.

  I can tell he is surprised by my candor and possibly impressed. He places his fork down, wipes his seductive mouth with his napkin and narrows his eyes. I take another sip from my glass and wait.

“Why do you think you are on this date? Clearly, you have some assumptions.”

“You can’t answer a question with a question,” I respond, throwing his own words back at him then I take another bite of my meal. He gives me a wry smile, but I don’t allow it to deter my focus on getting answers.  

“You are on this date because I want you. I’ve wanted you since I first saw you at brunch at Bagatelle.”

I nod and try not to give away my elation. The nanosecond of time in the garden that we connected made an impact. Hearing the words ‘I want you’ causes me to squirm in my seat to try and ward off the unexpected throb between my legs. I need to get control of this situation. 

“What do you mean ‘want me’? I can’t believe I’m the first woman you have made that statement to. I did a little research myself, so you must know you have a reputation. And I hope I haven’t given you the impression that I’m easily accessible. I don’t want to be a Jonathan Cain statistic.” I say with a straight face and cooler tone. 

I nonchalantly take a bite of my food, in hopes to slow down my racing heart. I watch his façade change as his jaw tightens. Clearly, he doesn’t appreciate my line of questioning.

“Madison, I am an adult. I have adult relations with adult women. What you may have heard is a perception that isn’t my reality. Page Six, social media and Google are not a representation of who I am. You are here because I want to share a meal and conversation with a beautiful, educated and interesting woman. Anything past that is up to you.” He responds, maintaining a tight jaw, his words are delivered curtly. I immediately feel petulant about making assumptions.

“I’m sorry Jonathan. I didn’t mean to offend you. I’m just the type that needs to know what I’m dealing with upfront. I just want to know your expectations. What do you want from me? This all happened out of the blue, so I am asking for clarity.” I say, staring into his hazel pools praying that he will give me an honest answer. He searches my face and then takes a deep breath.

“Truthfully, I don’t really know. But there is…something. Do you know how many channels I had to sift through to get your number? I don’t do that, Madison. Honestly, I never had to.” He says with a shrug.

I roll my eyes at his arrogance and he smiles, breaking the tension between us.