Bethany – Chapter One: Meet Cute? Meet Duke.

She was as basic as a white girl in fall could be. She had the soft ankle boots, the sweater, the scarf. Her hair was freshly streaked with caramel and brown highlights, and she held a spiced concoction in one hand. Bethany sipped her cooling beverage as she wandered around the park, pretending to be taking in the fall scenery, but really scoping out the cute guy she had seen the last few days. He had been tall, fair, a little on the brooding side, and had been avoiding making eye contact every time she had said hi. His dog, a large bull mastiff, on the other hand, had been more than a little affectionate. Every time he saw Bethany, he would jump up at her, trying to lick her face, more than happy to get lots of attention from her. She would lavish the dog with attention, figuring if she showed his owner that she was good with dogs, maybe they could exchange numbers.

About a week into deliberately running into them at the park, he finally made the step to introduce himself.

“I’m Michael,” he stammered, “this is Duke.” He made eye contact fleetingly, his blue eyes flicking to her brown ones.

“Bethany,” she laughed, as the over exuberant dog bounced up at her, “I absolutely love your dog!” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Michael smile.

“Well, he’s sort of the opposite of me,” his voice trailed off. Bethany stood and smiled up at him, seeing this as her opportunity.

“That’s okay,” she said, “I bet a lot of people go for your dog and leave you to just observe. It seems to work for you.” Michael nodded and held a handout towards the path.

“Would you like to join us?”

Bethany was thrilled, she had been single for so long, with very few men meeting her standards, this was definitely a step in the right direction. They walked around the park, chatting about their jobs, Duke, the weather, and nature in general. As they finished the loop, ending up at the parking lot, Michael came over all shy and peeked over at Bethany.

“I enjoyed today,” he’s voice faltered slightly, “would you like to have dinner sometime?” Somewhere inside Bethany’s mind, she did a little happy dance. He was successful, judging by the car he was loading Duke into, probably well off, and more than a little on the attractive side. She nodded, making a point to say an extended goodbye to Duke.

“Of course!” She was hard pressed not to let her excitement show in her voice, “I’m free Friday, if that works for you?” She asked, standing back up from petting the large dog. Michael smiled.

“Friday is fine,” Michael said, giving her his number and address, “would you be okay with dinner at my place? I do not like leaving Duke alone. And I would hate for you to miss out on the chance to see him.” Bethany just grinned.

“That’s totally fine with me,” she all but purred, “I’ll see you Friday.”

Bethany took Friday off from work and scheduled to not be back until Wednesday. She cited some much needed down time with her boss, Mr. O’Toole. She shuddered every time she had to deal with him, lecherous old man that he was. He had made a couple of crude jokes and passes at her when she had first started working for him but had stopped when Bethany complained to HR about him. She booked a day at the spa, was plucked, scrubbed, and pampered for what she was hoping would be a night of fun and perhaps a weekend alone with Michael. As she drove out to the address Michael had given her, she realized how rural it was, the scenery was beyond stunning, the gate at the entrance to his property was state of the art, and top of the line. He had more money that she had realized. A giddy thrill went through her. Screw it if people called her a gold digger, Michael would certainly be the catch of the century. Provided she played her cards right.

Driving up to the house, she parked next to the sleek, black sports car she had seen the other day, one of several cars parked along the driveway. If she did not know better, she would think he was having a party. As she adjusted the tight black pencil skirt she had opted to wear, the light jacket she wore did little to hold back the chill autumn breeze. Beauty demanded sacrifice, she was willing to put up with a little cold between the car and the house. The house itself was massive, more a manor than a home, Bethany suspected he had full time staff in residence. Why he left the property to walk his dog at a park almost an hour away was beyond her. As she knocked, she heard Duke start barking. Michael opened the door, and an unleashed Duke practically bowled her over as he greeted her. Both adults started laughing, and Bethany was pleased to see that Michael was much more relaxed and comfortable than when they had talked at the park.

“Come in,” he said, holding out his hands to take her jacket.