Page 19 of The Status Situation

When I texted her today, it was in a moment of weakness, where all I could think about was talking to her again. I am surprised it worked out in my favor and she agreed to go out with me again tonight, but you won’t hear me complain.

I meet her by the front of the car and take hold of her waist with one hand. The other, I use to pinch her chin between my fingers and tilt her head up. I smile as her eyes brighten, and I press my lips against hers in a quick kiss.

“Hi.”

Her cheeks turn the adorable shade of pink that I love. “Hi,” she responds breathily.

“Ready to go?”

She nods and steps backward out of my arms. I reluctantly let her go. “I didn’t know what to wear since you wouldn’t tell me where we are going. Is this okay?” She motions down to herself.

I make a show of looking her over, even though I have thoroughly done so already. “You are perfect, Maria.”

She scrunches her face in response. “Liar.”

That’s it. I may not want to freak her out, but I am tired of her making those kinds of comments about herself around me.

Cocking an eyebrow, I grab her wrist and press it against the very prominent bulge in my jeans. Her eyes go big and round, and her lips part.

“Does that feel like I’m lying?” I ask pointedly. When she doesn’t respond, I take a step closer, pushing her hand more firmly against my swollen cock. It throbs, but I ignore it. “Answer me, Maria. Does. It. Feel. Like. I’m.”

“No,” she says quickly.

I nod. “As you can clearly see, I find you insanely attractive. So I don’t want to hear you talk about yourself like that anymore. You got it? I may not be able to stop it when I’m not around, but with me? No more.”

“O-okay,” she stammers. Her face is really red now, probably because I’m still holding her hand against my dick.

“Good girl,” I praise, kissing her cheek.

I finally let go of her hand and instead lead her to the passenger side of the car. After opening the door for her and making sure she’s buckled in, I close it and rush to the driver’s side. Just a few seconds later, we are on the road.

We cross the town line in fifteen minutes, and it’s another ten before Maria tears her gaze away from the scenery flying past the window and looks at me. I can feel her eyes on me like a heated caress, and my cock begins to harden all over again. I just got the damn thing to calm down, too.

I glance over at her briefly, hopefully keeping her attention off my lap. “What?”

She shakes her head innocently as I turn onto the road that steadily leads to higher ground. “Nothing. I’m just waiting for you to tell me where we are going.”

“Why?” I tease. “Still think I’m a serial killer?”

Rolling her eyes, she playfully slaps my chest. I gently snag her wrist before she can pull it away and wind my fingers with hers so I can hold her hand in my lap.

“I know you are not a serial killer, Mark. I was just curious.”

“Well, you will find out soon enough,” I tell her. “It’s right up here.”

She turns her attention out the windshield as I drive us the rest of the way to the lookout.

It’s not a big place, but it is a bit of a tourist attraction during the day, even though there are only four parking spots. However, it’s quiet and private at night, perfect for a date where you want to be alone. I like to come up here when I’ve had a particularly bad day.

There’s a single bench and one of those metal viewers, and only one road in and out. A few trees are scattered about the area, and there’s a stone fountain that sits off to the left, closer to the edge of the cliff. The best part, though, is the vast number of wildflowers that blanket every inch of grass.

After putting the car into Park, I quickly jump out to open Maria’s door. She takes my outstretched hand and allows me to help her out of her seat. Her eyes are fixated on the view that stretches out before us, her mouth hanging open in awe as she stares at the inky black sky that’s dusted with millions of bright, shiny stars that hangs above the town below.

“Oh my gosh, Mark,” she gasps, glancing at me as she moves away from the car and closer to the fence at the edge of the cliff.

I watch her take it all in with rapt attention while moving to the trunk of the car to grab the picnic basket. Because tonight had been a last-minute thing, I had gone to the store to grab some drinks and snacks to bring up here. I realized then that I didn’t have anything to carry them in when I saw the baskets. So, I snagged one of those, too.

I sit on the bench as she takes in the view, and I’m surprised to find that I’m nervous. I want everything to be perfect, to impress her, because I want to keep seeing her. I want to give this a real chance and see where it can go. I just have to convince her. I know she’s into me, but I also know that she’s worried I have some kind of ulterior motive. It’s in the way she spoke to me earlier in the day when we were texting back and forth. We were flirting relentlessly, but when I casually brought up a few serious topics, she’d start pulling away.