Jenna's Blind Date

*****

The bar was beautiful and smelled of expensive leather and premium alcohol. The booths offered some privacy unless you wanted to sit at the bar itself, then it was a wide open display of each booth and the entrance to the very private bar. Only a select few were allowed in and Thomas was most of that reason. The money he made offered him a sanctuary from most prying eyes and this was his home away from home.

Thomas sat in the bar waiting for her to arrive. She had called him a week ago and he knew, just by the tone of her voice what she wanted. He sipped a glass of wine and patiently waited. The noise of the bar not stopping the thoughts of the "blind date" her friends had set up. One had been his in the past and she knew what he needed in a "date". Serena had told him that Jenna was the one, she was exactly what he needed and that is who had set them up. He had hoped that Serena was right.

*****

Jenna dreaded going to the bar; it was so eighties! Her mind pictured the low life that happened most bars, either hoping to get laid or ugly or ugly hoping to get laid. That was not going to happen anytime soon. Her last date was ridiculous, she first thought he was homosexual only to find out he was a metrosexual with a lust for his mother she found this out when he walked her to her apartment door only to drop his pant and whisper "Spank me, mommy, I have been a bad boy." Talk about getting your messages crossed Serena laid off matchmaking for a year after that "Perfect match" Now was the new year of being offloaded to the less pathetic of co-workers and friends of Pete; Serena's husband of four months.

Jenna thought about Pete and Serena and the odd marriage they seem to have. Jenna had strange ideas about their relationship, thinking how it might be in their bedroom as he seems to dominate Serena's every move. To Jenna, Pete seemed uncaring and overwhelming since they had married. Rarely has he shown the romance of their courting he had flourished on Serena but seemed more a bully now, but she seems happy enough.

Jenna, in the beginning, had envied Serena, ever since Jenna was a kid and read The Last Tango in Paris and The Story of O; her ideal man or dream romance was a cross between those books and The Knights of the Round Table. Perhaps a James Bond edginess, regardless Serena's description of her "Blind Date" was so cliché. "Tall, Dark and Handsome with oodles of cash". Jenna made sure to have enough money to pay for the drinks and get a cab. One of Serena's set-ups was supposed to be rolling in the dough had forgotten his wallet leaving Jenna to cover the check when she came out of the restroom to find her "date" had an emergency. Using all her money on the bar bill she found herself walking home that night.

Jenna hailed the Taxi and gave the address to the driver. "Ya goin' ta some fancy soiree like thing in that neighborhood Toots or are ya the entertainment? Not that it is any of my business just seeing where I picked ya up and all, though you look good ya can tell you're not even in the same ZIP code if ya knows what I mean!" Jenna looked down at her best work suit and sighed the Cabbie was right she looked like a cheesy porn star dressed like the librarian she was.

"Ah just great!" Jenna picked up her cell and calls Serena. Before offering pleasantries Jenna spouts off. "My navy suit, pink blouse and patent shoes are they totally wrong for this "Date"?" Listening to Serena to take the bun out of her hair and lower the cleavage on her blouse by two buttons. Had Jenna seeing what the cabbie saw. Hanging up after a muttered growl of thanks, Jenna decided to go with the free flowing comments and changed her appearance the best way she could. Jenna applied some makeup, brighter lipstick she had received from Serena for Christmas but never dared to wear and let her hair fall in loose waves down her back.

She undid three buttons down to her bra as the taxi pulled up to the front of Atheneum; she growled again. Now she would look like a whore walking into a library, not the other way around. Automatically her scholastic mind had both identified the name of the bar in all its tenses, genders and defined it's Latin meaning and origin. 'The sanctuary of Athena at Athens, built by the Roman emperor Hadrian, and frequented by poets and scholars. An institution for the promotion of literary or scientific learning. A library or reading room.' She deduced stepping out of the cab.

She paid the cabbie and walked into the building; if she had anyone to talk to she would still be speechless. The room was large and warmly decorated in a masculine way with leather wingback chairs in groupings with a glass circular table in the midst of each grouping. The bar was made out of mahogany and the sweet acrid smell of, leather and fine cognac and that comforting scent of smoke from a fine cigar or pipe tobacco.

Jenna walked to the bar, no one was seated at it, the Barmaid hurried over to serve Jenna. "What can I get for you Ma'am?" she says in the sweetest English accent Jenna has ever heard. Jenna placed her order for a Tom Collins and continued to look around the bar. The drink arrived as the maid went to place the drink in front of Jenna, two men were coming to blows. As quiet as a mouse, a hulking man in a tux grabs both men by their collars and drags them out of the bar. The only thing spilled was Jenna's drink down the front of her pink blouse. The Barmaid quickly thrusts towels at Jenna and pulls one of the waitresses off the floor to take over.

Grabbing Jenna's arm The maid identifies herself as Brittonia and brings her into the woman's restroom. "Oh!" Jenna cries when she sees her blouse is a lost cause. "At least it looks like my date is a no show. I can sneak out the back and commiserate at home with my jammies on and a small tub of Ben and Jerry". Brittonia smiles "Ah, what daft man would stand you up! Half of the bar was looking at you when you came in the other half was ogling you when you turned with that wet blouse plastered on you showing your girls." Brittonia mutters.

"Yes, well that is Thomas' loss and my gain." Jenna snaps as she views how see-through her blouse really was. Stripping off her blouse she places it in the bag Brittonia hands her and does up the suit jacket. Looking in the mirror Jenna is taken back at the woman looking back at herself. Pink in the face from embarrassment has left her with a slight glow, her deep burgundy painted lips look pouty, and the hint of lace from her bra peeking above her suit jacket giving her a more sultry look. "Ah, you say Thomas, the only Thomas' I know are your drink and the Bossman himself. I will be back" she says to Jenna before Jenna has a chance to stop her. Her only way out of the meeting would be to escape before some fat balding owner comes in for a free show, not tonight and not ever. The right man is obviously only a dream or figment of the imagination. Gathering her purse and the bag with her blouse Jenna walks out of the room and heads towards the exit.

She is stopped dead in her tracks when she hears "Right, that is her Sir!" she hears Brittonia. Suddenly she hears a deep commanding voice "Stop!" Jenna stumbles only a moment and decides she has had a tough enough week and before taking the next step she feels the warm big hands of a man on her upper arm. He smells spicy and masculine her heart does a flip as the estrogen in her system tries to talk her into doing that Southern Belle "Fiddley Dee" thing.

Jenna is held upright by the left arm as if stopping her from falling and turning her around as if she was a mere waif of a child. Suddenly she finds herself in the Man's arms slightly bowing back over his right arm as if having just been dipped in the soundless dance no one else is aware of. Before Jenna can utter a word. Thomas rights her to standing and with a twinkle in his eyes, Jenna stares down to where he is looking and turns beet red when she sees her blazer is now missing a button and barely contains her bra-clad chest. She presses herself against Thomas to try to cover herself up and attempts to find her dignity when he whispers in her ear.

*****

Thomas had seen her come into the bar after getting a text from Serena. He had moved on purpose to avoid her view and then watched her demeanor and her reaction to the bar itself. He could feel the pull. He could sense what she needed but wanted her to come to him. When Brittonia called out his name he could have tied and whipped her but he would save that for later. He had moved quickly when he saw his "date" turn to leave the bar and ordered her to stop. She was like a baby rabbit on the move.

He crossed the expanse in a second, caught her up to her swiftly and pulled her against him. "I will get you a top quickly and then you will come and sit and have the drink I owe you." He whispered and yet somehow his Dom's voice was in the whispers. He was plain and commanding in what he wanted and expected her to follow his lead. He turned and told a waitress to bring his guest a white top and to be quick about it. The white shirt appeared as if by magic and was handed to her. The bar fairly empty except a couple of regulars. "Go ahead and put it on." He sat them down at the bar giving her space to breath but enough closeness for him to know she would not rabbit again.

*****

Jenna could feel, this man whom she believed was perhaps her date, Thomas, was a man who would not broach insubordination of his staff nor the clients that frequented his establishment. The pounding in her head started in a low drum beat to a full-scale orchestra. Taking the offered top Jenna stepped from her barstool and found her way blocked by the leg of Thomas as he catches her from moving away. "I am only going to the restroom," she says to Thomas yet the smart ass retort on her tongue doesn't come out in the sharp tone she imagined but found it more of a throaty whisper leaving her mouth as she found she could not look him directly in the eyes. The physical presence and the aphrodisiac scent of Thomas' cologne affect her in a deep-seated way, causing her body to respond to an unheard command. She could feel all her womanly needs wake as her nipples feel as though someone is tugging them, her lace thong does little to capture her wetness. She looks at her hand on the man's thigh and then reality hits her. She was mortified to see she was stroking his leg like she has never touched a man before. Even more stupefied to see he was staring at her with a knows all grin. She let her hand drop then looked him straight in the eyes. "I doubt you would want me to change here so if you would excuse me I am going to the ladies room." A short gaff from Brittonia before she stood to flee had Jenna aware deep down that Thomas was nobody's fool and she crossed a line.

*****

Thomas smiled and watched her stand to leave the main bar room for a second time tonight. "No. Stay here, I would like it very much if you would stay beside me," he spoke softly, his eyes never leaving hers. He waited on her semi-patiently. He could tell she didn't know in her soul what she was to him or to other Dominant men like him. He leaned back and tapped the bar, Brit moved quickly and filled his drink and then looked at Jenna, "Perhaps a name to go with the night's adventures miss?" Brit was fishing for Thomas. He eyed Brit, "Her name is Jenna, and I want her drink filled and you to walk away." He spoke in a dark tone that brooked absolute authority.

His head swiveled and looked at Jenna again. "Please slip the top on and sit beside me. I don't want you to walk away." He smiled, turning on the megawattage and patted the seat beside him.

*****

Jenna could not believe how the curt, crisp words could cause her body to melt; while her brain said to run and never look back. Pictures infiltrated her imagination as hints at what this man was like and how she would react to him. Flashes of images of them both naked and the different places he would sexually take her had her blushing.

She shook her head as she noticed herself staring at Thomas as if he was steak and she was starving. Slowly Jenna undid her jacket and handed it to Thomas silently. She slipped her top over her head and felt all eyes on her. She quickly sits back down turning her back to everyone and tries to avoid looking in the mirror. Jenna was not sure what would happen next or what she should say or do, she just instinctively waited until the heaviness in the room and in her head receded.

*****

Thomas moved again placing his hand on her back, "You feel it don't you?" he asked her watching her eyes darting and the way her body is reacting. "Do you want to step outside with me and get some fresh air?" He asked her testing her resistance to him. He could see how much her body was reacting however, it was her mind, he was pushing her resistance.

*****

Jenna didn't talk or perhaps couldn't; would be more fitting, yet she nodded and stood following his direct approach as word and law. She bit the inside of her cheeks and tried to will herself to dig up her backbone but her will swayed to what Thomas was saying. In his quiet demeanor, Thomas made it feel like it was her own decision, not ordered around like a mere child as it looked like Serena had in her relationship. 'Relationship' where had that thought come from, they were not in a relationship. Standing taller Jenna moved to Thomas' right and stopped looking at the setting sun going down behind Thomas giving a look of a halo over his head. Her body reacted to the quick quip of Heavens Devil that popped in her head and again her mind took her on a fantasy ride with Thomas the leader in the fantasy. She had to get her head back on straight. "I never thanked you for the top and I am only supposing you are Thomas my date for this evening?" holding out her hand she stated she was Jenna.

*****

Thomas guided her through the bar and out the door into the cool night air. His hands never leaving her back or her body. "Yes my name is Thomas Reed, I hope that you will consider me your date for the evening. As far as the top goes, I have to say that it was my responsibility to make sure you are safe from prying eyes." He smiled again letting her get through the shock of meeting him and the embarrassment of the spilled drink. "So we can stay here and get food, or I can take you out." He paused. "I think out." He turned and flagged down a taxi. He gave an address to the cabbie and helped her into the seat. His hand touching her leg softly.

The small Italian restaurant would not have even been seen if he had not guided her inside and sat her down at a small table. "Please tell me about yourself, Serena didn't really give me much." He again laid a small test out to her.

*****

Jenna's head was spinning as he answered her questions not expecting a response and moved with it pulling her deeper into his will and way. "What do you want to know? I was born a country girl, went to University got my degree and now I am the head librarian and archivist for the New York City library system. Oh, and we are always pleased with the donation you send each year." Why had she said that? what is wrong with her calm cool aloft approach she handled everyday matters with? "I have never been married or found someone man enough to carry on a relationship overly long. I have hopes and fantasies I mean dreams of eventually retiring on a quiet island away from the rat race of this city." Inside she moaned to herself 'what a twit never married, fantasies, why don't you just jump him here right on the table of the restaurant? She, on one hand, wished the night over and on the other hoped it would never end. "What else would you like to know?"

*****

"Well, I am assuming you know about me from what you have read." He stated his eyes scanning her face and her body. "So tell me what island I need to purchase." He smiled turning and ordering them both dinner. Serena had told him that she had no food allergies, so he comfortably ordered a small salad and food for both of them. He watched her body as his foot slipped between her legs, pushing into her personal space. "I am single, looking to find that right person to match me intellectually and physically. Tell me how often you work out." He commanded in a soft voice.

*****

Jenna voluntarily offered her Ideal type of island while she watched the waiter interact with Thomas. Everyone treated him with a respect and needing to please way, be the person male or female. Listening to him list off his commands and list his desired mate gave Jenna a strange feeling of pride being in this man's presence. The way he can take over a whole conversation and make you feel it was natural had Jenna smile. Her body became pumped with a sexual adrenaline that has her heart pumping like she was in the middle of a triathlon. Those fantasies she keeps seeing are only what her body craves for with this man. His commanding personality takes away from the heaviness she feels when she has to be the boss and run the library system. She would rather be receiving orders than giving them, deep inside every decision she has made over the years has put her in a self-contained prison where she is finally hearing the unlocking of the doors leading her to a freedom she for so long has craved. "I jog every day to work and on my lunch, I run up and down the stairs at work 12 floors twice a day besides which is in my normal need to travel the different floors." Why would he be asking this question she wonders to herself. "Tell me about the Atheneum, why you choose to open up your bar. It reminds me of the age-old Gentleman's Den. You have so many holdings and shares all over the world but you spend most of your time in New York and your bar has mystery and has a legend of having a secret social network somewhere on the premises yet no one really knows for sure. You are never seen in the paper, online or in the news with a woman and network 69 claims you have a homosexual den of inequity in the back because rarely a woman is seen to enter the front door. The reporter claimed he was not allowed down the lane which runs behind your building but proposes politicians and dignitaries enter that way to keep their names from the evils of your ways." She paused and then continued "How much if any truth is in that statement from last week's segment?" she asks.

*****

Thomas signaled the waiter and the salads arrived. He again brushed her leg now with his foot, forcing a physical contact. "You tell me, Jenna, having known me for 20 minutes, do you think I am homosexual? I will tell you about my bar and the other questions but answer that first." he mused softly and at his salad watching her waiting for her to eat. He pointed to her food as she started to speak.

*****

The quick joy of being shrewd or perhaps just a shrew was short-lived when she is called to task. Her smile fades as she grabs her fork and shakes her head. "No, I would never believe you or anyone setting foot in there are not straight they all seem to have 110% testosterone. Every man in the bar seemed to exhibit very masculine traits and has a dominance about them like they are above everyone, but, no one needed to force these impressions on anyone else. The whole atmosphere shouts refinement and privacy. I think the reporter was just not welcome in or given any insight of what the Atheneum held within her walls. Jealousy, envy or just cowardly he launched an attack on your name as everywhere else your charity's, work with the community everyone loves you and no skeletons are rattled. That is what I think. Frankly, it would not surprise me to find you are much like a sailor with a girl in every port, you have more male stamina than anyone I have met in my life."

*****

"Hmmm, is that what you think of me really?" He asked. The waiter put two small plates of lasagna on the table along with breadsticks and vanished. "The bar is my get away. Even if it was only open to me, it would stay open, and ready for me to go, sit and relax." He mused to her. He ate slowly watching her reaction. "I have been only with a handful of women, mostly because I haven't found the right one for me." He tapped on her plate. "Please eat." His food disappeared with a mechanical speed. He finished and sat sipping the red wine on the table watching her eat. "Do you want to see the back room?" he asked finally.