"Go around the back of the building, there's a black SUV parked underneath my kitchen window. It's unlocked, get in the back seat, on the seat is an eye mask, put it on and buckle yourself in." Chris's voice is dry, almost emotionless as he speaks to Liza.
Earlier today he'd sent her a message asking if she had several hours to burn that evening. She'd paused, wondering why he was asking, when they'd seen each other only a few days ago, but answered that she did.
"Do you trust me?" His next message came through immediately. That gave her even greater pause, and she considered what he was asking. Putting her trust in someone was usually a lengthy process, and she'd only known Chris for a few months. He hadn't given her any reason to not trust him, and had certainly allowed her to make all the decisions about their relationship. Still, the Danger sign was flashing brightly in her head, neon and vivid. "Yes." She typed and sent it before she could rethink her answer.
"I'll be on the bench at 10. Further instructions then." Appeared on her screen and she took a deep breath, wondering what she'd just given him permission to do.
At 10 here she is, dressed in her usual running attire, approaching the bench where Chris is sitting with another man. She slows as she comes even with them, her eyes darting between the two men. Chris makes no effort to introduce the man sitting with him, so she surmises that he was just passing time chatting while waiting for her.
Nodding that she has heard his directions to the car, she keeps moving and jogs around the block to the parking area that flanks the old buildings. The black SUV is right where Chris had said, and yes, on the back seat is the eye mask. Liza picks it up and holds it in her hands for a moment, the silk fabric soft against her skin, fingers pulling gently on the elastic band that would hold it around her head. Her brain screams Danger, but she is also incredibly aroused at the possibilities that race through her head.
Decision made, she belts herself in and dons the mask. Sitting in the quiet car, her vision absent, she feels her other senses sharpen. Music from the band at the bar pushes against the windows of the car and she can clearly make out the words of the song being sung. The car smells faintly of lemon and the leather seats feel slightly oily, as though they had just been cleaned. Suddenly her chaotic thoughts are interrupted by not just one, but two doors opening and both sides of the car rocking slightly as two people step into the vehicle.
Two. That number makes her pulse accelerate instantly. Chris is known Danger, a second person is an unknown and far more frightening Stranger and thus a higher risk of Danger.
"Hello?" She says tentatively, hand rising to the front of the mask, ready to pull it off and bolt from the car.
"Do you trust me?" She hears Chris's voice ask from the driver's side of the car. Her right hand hovers over the mask, and she reaches out with her left, searching for his. Her fingers connect with his arm and she holds on for a moment, taking several deep breaths. The car is decidedly quiet while she considers her answer. She tries to remember what the other man looked like, but all she could pull up in her memory is that he looked generic, blond hair, younger than Chris, cute, wearing jeans and a t-shirt. Not much to go on, if he was, in actuality, the 3rd person in the car. And why would there be another person in the car?
Even as her brain contemplates that, her last conversation with Chris pops into her head. "Maybe start with two guys first. I have a buddy who is cool with the idea, if you want." There is no guarantee that the man she saw on the bench actually IS the other person in the car...it could be anyone, even someone whom she's already met, and there is no way for her to know who they are. OMG, her brain screams, what if he's a friend of her husband's?? It could be her Calc Instructor, she has no way of knowing who the friend Chris mentioned actually is!
Shit just got real, she thinks.
Chris is still waiting for her to answer, and she loosens her grip on his arm and sits back in the seat, ankles folded primly together and clasps her hands, fingers gripping each other tightly. "Yes, I trust you."