The Project

"Mark?" Julia shrugged. "Haven't seen him in ages. You were right, I should move on."

Emily looked at her in surprised delight and gave her a quick hug. "Good few you, sweetie. There are a few hotties here tonight," she whispered conspiratorially. Julia glanced around and noticed more than one man trying to catch her eye. "I see what you mean," she whispered back.

It wasn't long before someone took the seat next to Julia. She glanced over and decided she liked what she saw. He was tall and well-dressed, clean shaven with short brown hair. Emily covertly poked her in the side but Julia didn't need much encouragement. She smiled at the stranger.

"Hi, I'm Ben," he introduced himself. "Can I buy either of you ladies a drink?" Emily smiled and shook her head. She already had a partner waiting at home so didn't begrudge Julia the attention.

"I've already got one, thanks." Julia lifted her half-full glass. "But I might need another, later." Ben grinned and turned to face her. "I'll stick around in case you run out then," he said graciously.

Julia talked with him for at least an hour. She made an effort to include Emily in the conversation but Emily said she needed to get home to her partner. She winked conspiratorially at Julia and told her to have fun.

Ben was charismatic and a good conversationalist but Julia started to get a little bored. She was also getting a bit cold in her skimpy evening top. Ben noticed the goosebumps and stroked her arm slowly. "Has anyone told you how gorgeous you are recently?" he whispered.

"Not recently, no," she admitted. Ben smiled confidently. "Well, let me fix that for you. Come back to my place for a while," he offered.

Julia bit her lip. Ben was handsome and charming but for some reason she didn't feel that much attraction for him. Maybe she was just out of practice at dating. It wasn't like she had anything else more exciting to do tonight. "Ok," she agreed.

They went outside to get a taxi and Ben put his arm around her shoulders to keep her warm. She sighed in contentment and rested her head on his shoulder. It felt good to be held by someone again. Mark was fading into a distant memory.

It was a short ride to Ben's apartment. He opened the door and she caught a glimpse of a modern grey interior but suddenly he was kissing her and she couldn't see anything else. She was a little taken-aback by his boldness but he was a good kisser. His mouth moved against hers gently but insistently. She opened her mouth to deepen the kiss. Ben wrapped his arms around her to pull her closer and she could feel the evidence of his desire. "You really are gorgeous," he said, breaking off the kiss.