Chapter Twenty-Six
Katy
The following evening, Katy was dolled up to the nines for her date at Blue Dog. She arrived a few minutes early and was scanning the booths of the small bar. No Irish guy again. Katy scoffed. She was beginning to wonder if the man she met a few weeks back was real at all.
‘Katy!’ one of the bar staff called out to her. ‘Back again?’
Katy felt her cheeks begin to burn. ‘I know. I promise I don’t have an alcohol issue,’ she said, but she was questioning if she would develop one with the amount of dates she’d been racking up in the past few weeks.
‘Who’s the lucky guy tonight?’ the young woman at the bar asked.
Katy leaned in. ‘His name is Dom Black. He’s thirty-five and a car mechanic.’
‘And I think he’s behind you.’ The girl’s eyes darted above Katy’s head. As she turned, she spotted a tall, bearded man in a leather jacket and jeans scanning the room.
‘Yip, that’s him.’ Katy turned away from the bar. ‘Dom!’ she said, as if she’d just spotted him.
A bold, cold smirk broke onto his face when he clocked her.
‘How are you, sweetheart?’ Dom leaned over and kissed her cheek. ‘Nice place this, isn’t it?’
Katy bounced her head, still glancing her date up and down. ‘Yeah, I’m good, thanks. It is nice. I’ve only been here a couple of times,’ she lied, not wanting to admit to her serial dating escapades.
‘I’ll get the drinks in then. You’ll find us a seat, yeah? What are you having?’
Katy immediately liked how direct Dom was, how he took control of the date already.
‘I’ll have a classic mojito, please.’
Dom walked up to the bar and placed the order while Katy sat in her usual seat by the door.
She watched him casually, leaning against the bar, chatting to the barmaid, oozing confidence and style.
His beard was a bit bushier than in his photographs on Tinder, but Katy found it weirdly attractive, as if he were a giant lumberjack who could fetch them wood in their imaginary cosy cottage of the future.
Dom returned with Katy’s cocktail and a pint of lager for himself.
‘Cheers,’ Katy said happily, tilting her glass towards his.
‘Aye, cheers!’
‘So, how are you finding the whole dating experience?’ she asked, keen to complete her questionnaire before the cocktail buzz began.
‘Aye, well. Not too bad. I have dates, you know. But I don’t know. It’s difficult, eh? I don’t have a standard type either, which makes nailing down the perfect partner a bit more difficult.’
Katy agreed, feeling a tad more insecure all of a sudden.
‘So, you don’t have a type at all?’ she asked quietly.
‘Hmmm .?.?. No. Not physically, anyway.’
‘I take it you go off connection then?’ she asked, trying to gauge her date.
‘Connection, good morals, that type of thing. Looks are influential, don’t get me wrong, but shared values are the sexiest thing on the planet for me.’
Katy enthusiastically agreed. ‘Yeah. God. Totally!’ But at the same time she was wondering exactly what his values were.
Was he religious or spiritual? Did he not believe in sex before marriage?
What could he possibly feel so passionately about?
Katy then wondered about her own morals – or if she even had any?
Were there specific things she looked for in a man other than a big dick and a handsome face?
It had never crossed her mind before. She had always moulded herself to fit her dates’ expectations, and now this stranger’s words were making her wonder what type of person she actually wanted in life.
‘So, tell me about your work then, Katy?’ Dom asked, sipping his pint.
Katy sat back, feeling much less vulnerable when chatting about her career. ‘Well, I work at a marketing firm.’
‘OK.’ He continued sipping.
‘I pretty much get a client or company assigned to me, and it’s my job to find ways to boost their brand.
It can be pretty fun when you have a cool thing to pitch.
So, if you ever think of opening your own garage, I’ll bring the broken-down cars of Glasgow straight to you,’ Katy said, giggling.
‘I’m pitching an energy drink brand at the moment to gyms; it helps prolong workouts with natural ingredients. Do you work out?’
Dom chuckled. ‘Does it look like I work out?’
Katy scanned his broad shoulders and overall look. She couldn’t see much beyond his leather jacket. ‘I think you do,’ she replied curiously.
‘I do a lot of heavy lifting as part of my job, but I play football on weekends.’ He sipped again at his pint. ‘I’ve never been a huge lover of the gym, but I wouldn’t say no to a workout with a girl like you.’
Katy blushed, enjoying the compliment and letting his innuendo go straight over her head. ‘So, do you play for a football team or five-a-sides?’
‘A team; it’s pretty minor leagues just now. We play for fun.’ He sat back. ‘We have a great team of guys there.’
‘Cool. That sounds fun,’ Katy replied. They both took another drink. ‘And have you been single long then?’
Dom let out a sigh. ‘Yes and no. I’ve dated a few people here and there but haven’t become official with anyone for about five years. What about yourself?’
Jesus , she thought. Officially, I had a boyfriend last week!
‘Yeah, pretty similar to yourself. A couple of years, but I have dated on the odd occasion.’
‘And what do you look for in a man, Katy? If you don’t mind me asking,’ Dom said.
Katy gazed at him, still summing him up. He was certainly attractive, with that whole macho vibe going on.
‘I suppose someone who likes similar things as me, who I get along with, someone I can have a cuddle with and who is up for a laugh. You wouldn’t think that’d be so hard to find in this dating world, would you? Trust me, it is!’ she insisted, slurping another drink of her minty mojito.
‘What about a man who looks after you? Who wants to protect you at all costs?’ he asked. ‘Is that important to you?’
Immediately, shockwaves travelled between her legs. Jesus, why is there something so manly about a man who wants to protect you? I mean, I know Glasgow gets a bad rep, but it’s hardly the Bronx .
‘Yeah, I think I’d like that,’ she admitted, feeling flustered by arousal. ‘It’s very attractive.’
‘Good. Because I like to care for people, but it’s an old-fashioned value. I get how women like to be independent these days, but I like to protect and keep whoever I’m with safe.’
‘Aw, that’s nice of you. It’s really kind actually,’ Katy said, knowing she had well and truly ducked at the first hint of a red flag.
A couple of hours later, the bar was quietening down. Katy had already received a text from Zola saying she was heading to bed, but no matter how much she knew the countdown for work in the morning was looming, the cocktail buzz was well and truly flowing.
‘I’ve had such a great time tonight,’ she admitted to Dom, feeling unbelievably tipsy.
Dom grinned. ‘Me too. You are adorable.’
He pressed on her nose cutely, and their eyes locked across the table. As Dom came closer, leaning in, Katy felt her breathing change. She shut her eyes in anticipation of a sloppy snog but felt a soft peck on the cheek instead.
What the fuck? she wondered. She opened her eyes to see Dom looking around, slightly shy at his gesture. But Katy managed a smile.
‘I better walk you home, Miss McIntyre,’ Dom declared. ‘Before it gets too late.’
Katy agreed, only a little reluctantly.
Together, they finished off the rest of their drinks and staggered out of the bar.
‘Which way?’ Dom asked.
‘No, no, don’t be silly. I can make my own way home. I only stay on Argyle Street. Don’t worry about me!’ she chirped.
‘Absolutely not! I invited you out with me tonight, so I’d like to ensure you return home safely, Katy.’
She blushed at his overprotective chivalry. ‘OK, right.’
They turned, and she began leading the way to her flat.
‘I would love to see you again,’ Dom said while they strolled, hand in hand.
Katy nodded. ‘Of course! Me too.’
‘Maybe dinner next time?’ he suggested.
‘That would be lovely.’
‘It lets me observe your cooking skills, too,’ he added.
Katy laughed loudly, but Dom frowned at her. Fuck, that wasn’t a joke , she thought.
‘You can cook, can’t you?’ Dom questioned.
Katy gasped. ‘ Erm .?.?. Of course, I can,’ she said, knowing full well that she lived off Koka noodles and takeout.
‘Good. I want my partner to cook for me. Especially after a hard day’s work in the garage.’
Wow, now he’s taking these old-fashioned values a little too far , she thought.
As she guided Dom to cross over the road, he put his arm around her until she crossed safely.
She couldn’t help but feel turned on by this amount of care.
Katy couldn’t remember the last time she felt someone actually wanted to look out for her.
There was something that felt sweet and warm about having someone there in your corner.
‘So, cooking is noted. But is there anything else you expect from your partner, Dom?’ she asked, trying to sound as sultry as possible.
Dom’s eyes expanded. ‘You mean in the bedroom?’
Katy smirked, encouraging him to carry on.
‘Well .?.?.’ He cleared his throat. ‘I do like to be dominating. Dominic by name, dominating by nature, you see .?.?.’
‘OK .?.?.’ Katy was intrigued.
I suppose a dominating guy means less time on top – result!
‘I also want my partner to be pleased sexually. I take great pride in how much pleasure I can provide. I enjoy bringing them to orgasm. Whether it’s with a man or woman, I want to satisfy them.’
Katy could feel her underwear begin to moisten with his words, then her head tilted, catching up with his last sentence.
‘Oh .?.?. sorry. You’re bi? You’re bisexual?’
Dominic laughed. ‘I’m not anything, Katy. I told you I go off connection. I suppose if you really had to categorise me .?.?. you’d say I was .?.?. demi-pansexual.’
And I’d say you were a greedy bastard, Dominic! she thought.