Dream Date

Samantha Jacobs smiled when she heard a knock on the door. “Come in,” she called, and began to light the candles in the middle of her dining room table. She still couldn’t believe that she had met Matthew McConaughey at her friend, Jason’s, dinner party last week.

It all seemed like a dream now. He’d seemed quite interested in her at the party and blushing, she had invited him to dinner tonight. She had been pleasantly surprised when he had accepted. Still, she had never expected him to show up. She had made dinner of course, but in the back of her mind, she had been prepared for him to stand her up.

She heard the door open then close again. “Hello?” Matthew called out and her smile widened as she reached up and brushed a strand of flame red hair behind her ear. “I’m in here,” she called from the dining room. She stood and straightened her red dress and brushed invisible debris to the floor. She heard his footsteps come toward her then turning she said, “I hope you like spaghetti.”

Matthew smiled at her and handed her a dozen long stemmed roses and a bottle of champagne. “Mmm,” he said as he took off his jacket and hung it on the back of a chair. “My favorite.” He surprised her then by planting a quick kiss on her cheek then followed her into the kitchen so that they could ice the champagne and put the flowers in water. They spoke of many things over dinner; what she did for a living, his career, and how he had met her friend; and he delighted her with his attention. Never before had a man paid so much attention to her or shown so much interest in her, not even Jason. She noticed that unlike any other man she knew, Matthew always seemed to redirect the conversation topic back to her.

After dinner, she expected that he would be on his way, but he seemed quite content to stay. They cleared the table together and he helped her put away the leftovers. Then he went to the fireplace and started a fire. He pulled the blanket she kept on the back of the couch onto the floor and motioned her to join him where he sat cross-legged, his back to the couch. She came toward him and knelt nervously. Matthew smiled at her, noticing her nervousness.

“It’s alright,” he said softly. “There is no reason to be nervous around me; I’m just a man, after all.”

Yeah right, she thought. A gorgeous one. He beckoned to her once more and she slowly moved closer until they were sitting facing each other.

“I’m sorry I’m so nervous,” she whispered as she gazed into his chocolate colored eyes. “It’s just that… most men show no interest in me.”

He smiled at her, leaned forward slightly, and caressed her cheek. “But I’m not most men,” he whispered then bent his head to kiss her. His lips were soft; they reminded her of rose petals. She was startled to hear a soft moan escape her lips and he inhaled deeply. Moving slowly, he untangled his legs placing one on each side of her, then bent them slightly. He wrapped his arms around her gently and pulled her to him, never breaking their kiss. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly a moment later. “I didn’t mean to… to push you. It’s just that I like you. I’ve wanted to do that since I met you.”

“Really?” she asked as he looked into her eyes and saw the firelight reflected in their emerald depths. He nodded and she smiled. He liked her smile. He looked at her sadly and her smile faded. “What?” she asked. “What is it?”

“I’m leaving town in two days,” he said quietly. “I wish I could stay, but I’m meeting with a new agent.”

“Oh,” she replied and looked away.

He cleared his throat drawing her attention back to him. “I’d like to come back,” he said uneasily as she looked at him again. “I’d like to see you again, if that’s alright with you.” He knew her answer by the way she beamed at him. He placed his finger under her chin and tilted her head back so that he was now gazing in her eyes. “Samantha,” he breathed huskily inches from her lips and her breath mingled with his and made them heady.

“Yes?” she whispered, swallowing hard over a lump that formed in her throat.

“I love you,” he whispered. “I’ve loved you since the moment we met.” He leaned forward then and captured her mouth in another kiss. It was soft, slow and delicious. He was surprised when she responded by wrapping her arms around his neck. Cradling her face gently in his hands, he traced her mouth with his tongue and was delighted when she parted her lips to him so that he could deepen their kiss.

“Samantha,” he whispered breathlessly when they finally parted. He caressed her cheek and gazed into her green eyes. “I want you…” he breathed into her ear then drew back to gaze into her eyes once more.

Before she could respond, an alarm suddenly sounded with a loud irritating buzz. Samantha tried to reach for him but he faded right before her eyes. She moaned and rolled over not opening her eyes as she reached over to the bedside table and hit the snooze button on her alarm clock. This was the third time this week that she’d had that dream. She sighed heavily then stretched and yawned. Rubbing her pale, nearly colorless eyes, she got out of bed and dressed. She shoved her glasses on her face and brushed her bushy dark brown hair. Then after grabbing her keys and chasing her white cat out, she left for work. It was Monday… just her luck, the dream never came when she could sleep in.