Chapter Seven
Katy
That evening, Katy headed to Bluedog in the city centre.
It was a small, charming cocktail bar with live jazz.
Her date, Harry, had suggested it, and she felt encouraged by its classy vibe.
Katy wore her brown hair in a sleek ponytail, as she didn’t have time to wash it after work, and she’d picked out a short, pale pink chiffon dress with matching heels.
The city was relatively quiet as it was a weekday, the weather was clammy but dry, and despite her earlier disastrous date, Katy felt optimistic about meeting Harry.
Katy walked confidently into Bluedog and was greeted by the friendly staff.
‘There’s a guy up the back. Could it be him?’ one of the servers replied.
‘I’ll have a look, thanks,’ she said, walking up several stairs to the booths at the back of the bar. The deeper Katy stepped into the bar, the darker it became, and it took a few seconds for her eyes to adjust.
A man was sitting studying the menu. He looked smart in a navy shirt and jeans.
‘Harry?’ Katy called out, walking towards the table.
The man glanced up from the menu, but she didn’t recognise his face from his pictures. If this was another catfish, he was a lot fucking better-looking in real life, she thought.
‘Sean.’ He tilted his head to the side curiously, his Irish accent catching her off guard.
Katy blushed, cringing for herself.
‘Shit. I’m sorry. I’m meeting someone and I thought you might be him,’ she said. She turned back, squeezing her eyes shut in pure mortification at her blunder, as she headed towards the front of the bar.
‘Ahhh, first date is it?’ the stranger called out.
Katy felt as if her face was twisting even more as she swivelled to face him and nodded in reply.
‘Well now.’ Sean’s gaze skimmed her up and down. ‘He’s a very fortunate man. Good luck!’
Her teeth glimmered at his approval, and she stared back for a few intense seconds.
‘Thank you,’ she replied eventually, then headed back to the front of the bar.
As she walked towards the front she spotted Harry hovering at the door. Katy waved briefly, and he walked straight up and hugged her.
‘Hey, how are you? I wasn’t sure if you were here already.’
Katy smiled, enjoying how warm he seemed. ‘I’m good, thanks. Yeah, I toddled up the back in case you were up there.’
‘Aghh, I see. Nope, just late as always!’ he admitted, seeming a little nervous now. ‘Will we take a seat? You look lovely, by the way.’
Katy glowed at the compliment. ‘Thank you, yeah, sure.’
‘There’s an empty booth just here,’ Harry suggested, ‘or there might be some further back.’
Katy shook her head and pointed to a booth near the front door. ‘Here is great!’ As she sat down, her eyes crossed to Sean. Even through the darkness of the bar, she couldn’t help but notice that he was grinning widely at her.
‘So, what are we drinking, then?’ Harry asked, opening the menu. ‘This place is great. Have you been before?’
‘Erm, I have, yeah. It’s nice. The musicians are insane! I just hope they play a bit of Rod tonight.’
Harry’s face dropped in surprise. ‘Rod Stewart?’
Katy blushed, hoping her stalking skills weren’t too obvious. ‘Yeah, I mean what other Rod is there? I know he’s old school, but I just .?.?.’
‘Katy, I LOVE him!’ Harry clapped his hands in excitement. ‘He’s like .?.?. he’s my idol!’
Katy gasped as if she couldn’t believe the chances. I’ve got him eating out the palm of my hand already , she thought.
‘What’s your favourite song of his then?’ Harry asked.
Oh, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! In all her pre-date research about Harry, she hadn’t thought to fire up big Rod on Spotify.
Katy hummed as if she was thinking, but her mind was blank.
Surely to fuck I must know one, just one, of Rod Stewart’s fucking songs?
Did he sing ‘Maggie May’? Or ‘We Are the Champions’? Wait, was that Freddie? Fuck.
‘In fact, let’s get a drink first, then you can tell me, eh?’ Harry said.
Saved by the fucking bell. She puffed a slight sigh of relief.
‘Sure, I think I’ll have a Pornstar Martini.’
‘Good choice! I’ll have the same. I’ll be back in a second.’
As Harry went to the bar, Katy quickly examined him.
He was a little smaller than she’d hoped, probably around five feet eight inches.
She had noticed his height was missing from his profile, so she wasn’t overly surprised.
But he was very handsome, with gorgeous blue eyes and short blond hair.
He wore a plain white T-shirt with a checked jacket over the top and a pair of Nike trainers, looking casual but cute.
As he ordered from the bar, Katy brought out her phone and quickly googled Rod Stewart songs.
A few minutes later, Harry returned with the cocktails and sat beside Katy.
‘Thanks for this,’ she said, sipping at the drink. ‘And “Maggie May” and “I Don’t Want to Talk About It” are my favourite Rod tunes.’
Harry looked warmly into her eyes. ‘I’ve got a great feeling about you already, Katy.’ He smiled. ‘So, tell me, are you working tomorrow?’
‘Yip, up bright and early! What about you? What do you do?’
He slurped at his own cocktail. ‘Yeah, I was in Australia for a while there travelling .?.?.’
Katy pretended to be surprised. ‘Wow, amazing!’
‘Yeah, it was good fun, but I decided to come home and get a proper job, so I’ve started working with my old man. We fit new boilers, nothing interesting, but it pays well.’ He shrugged. ‘What about you? It says on your Instagram that you work for a marketing company. How is that?’
Katy giggled. ‘Oh, did someone have a little stalk, Harry?’ she teased, knowing full well that his passing glance wouldn’t have been a patch on the deep dive background check she’d undertaken.
‘But yeah, it’s fine, I suppose. I’m promoting a new energy drink at a gym tomorrow.
Every day is different, depending on the project, I guess. ’
‘In that case, I won’t have you out too late, I promise.’ He smiled, the look in his icy blue eyes instantly sending vibrations between her legs.
*
As the night continued, Katy and Harry seemed to get along just great.
She disclosed her love for Celtic, having actually never been to a football match, or cared about any sport at all, but again, she knew it was exactly what he wanted to hear, and it prompted Harry to show her his multiple tattoos dedicated to his team.
After their fifth drink, she decided it best to call it a night and reluctantly head back to her flat.
‘I can walk you down to your place if you’d like?’ Harry offered, as they stepped outside.
Katy found herself swaying, knowing the date had gone well and feeling the undeniable starvation, the longing to pump him, but also knowing that if she did, she would probably never see him again.
‘Thanks, but it’s probably best not to. I’ve had an excellent night, though,’ she replied, consciously taming her vaginal urges.
‘Me too.’ He grinned, staring into her eyes for a few seconds.
‘Well, see you, Harry.’
Katy lifted her hand to wave, and he pushed his fingers through hers, then pulled her to him.
She was so close she could feel his fruity cocktail breath hit her face; he leaned in and kissed her hard.
His mouth opened and Katy felt his soft tongue wrap around hers.
She moaned slightly as his hands grazed over her waist and pulled her in even closer.
She was aware of his groin skimming her dress, only a tiny piece of material keeping them apart.
A few seconds later, Katy pulled away, wiping her mouth and laughing. ‘OK then! Wow.’ She giggled, ‘Goodnight, Harry.’
He laughed too, flustered. ‘Best date ever, Katy!’ he said. He walked a few steps, blew her a kiss, then crossed over the road.
Katy’s mind was racing. This is it , she thought. Dun, dun, da dun, could this be the man I marry? He was cute, kind, funny and respectful. She jumped a little in excitement and started the walk back to her flat.
Her phone beeped.
Harry: How good was that date? X
Katy grinned widely and began typing. Then she noticed a car pull up at the side of the road. The window slowly lowered and she saw Sean, the stranger from the bar, smile towards her.
‘I take it your date didn’t go too well?’ he asked.
Katy looked back, confused. ‘What? Why? It went really well, actually.’
Sean’s dark shaved head bopped, and he hummed back. ‘Mmmmm?’
‘Why did you think it didn’t go well?’ she asked, wondering if he had observed something she hadn’t.
‘You see, if it were me, I would never have let you go home alone.’ His deep Irish accent combined with his overconfidence was making her heart pound. ‘Especially in that dress.’ Sean’s dark eyes darted up and down her legs.
Katy felt chills travel up her spine. ‘I mean, he did try, obviously, but I’m not like that,’ she lied, knowing fine well she loved a shag on the first date as much as any man, but she was trying hard to follow her friends’ advice.
‘Not like what? Not into a bit of fun?’ Sean’s eyes stared straight into Katy’s and he smirked slightly. She felt a wave of hotness flush over her skin.
‘Not .?.?. no .?.?. not, like, not on the first date, anyway,’ she stuttered. ‘Should you be driving anyway?’ She had to change the subject before she couldn’t breathe entirely.
Sean laughed. ‘I don’t drink. I’m only in town for business.’
Katy turned to him, crossing over her arms, ‘You were in a bar? Alone.’
‘I enjoy the music!’
‘OK.’ She shrugged. ‘Bye then.’ And with that, she continued to walk.
‘Wait, I have to know, why no sex on a first date? I’m curious.’ Sean’s dark eyes remained fixed on hers. There was an intensity to him, Katy had never quite felt before.
‘Because!’ She almost spat the words out. ‘I’m a lady!’ she added for good measure.
Sean laughed under his breath. ‘You know,’ he said as he bit his lip and shook his head a little, ‘I don’t buy it. Get home safe, kiddo.’
As he sped down West George Street in his grey Audi like Dick Dastardly, Katy was left speechless.
Who the fuck was that gorgeous, cheeky bastard of a stranger?