Anastasia padded from the bathroom, sections of damp hair hanging down her neck, her soft robe tied loosely about her slender waist, she took a sip of the red wine that swirled lazily around the glass in her hand.
Saturday nights were always the most demanding and this night was no different.
Her phone buzzed, moving slightly across the surface of the coffee table, exhaling lightly she picked it up, catching her bottom lip between her teeth as she read the waiting message.
'I'll meet you at the bar, I'll be wearing a white shirt, open at the neck… grey suit and a glass of bourbon' – "interesting…" she whispered to herself.
She wriggled into the tightest black dress she owned, her cheeks flushed as she sat at her dressing table, memories of her childhood scattered around her, graduation snaps blue tacked to the mirror, her fingers brushed over the old bottle of perfume that had once belonged to her grandmother… she couldn't escape the past, and wasn't actually sure if she really wanted to.
Brushing a strand of hair from her face Anastasia took a deep breath before entering the bar, this was not an unfamiliar feeling, it was the repeat of a nightmare, one she found herself in at least 3 times a week.
The bar housed discrete booths, dimly lit with a solitary candle in the centre of each table. Couples held hands whilst gazing into each others eyes; and then there were those that barely noticed each other's company as they both sat, heads deep in their mobile phones.
Her eyes darted across the room, waiting to locate him… his earlier description proving more than accurate as he turned on his stool, his eyes locked with hers, she hadn't expected this, she hadn't expected him.
"Anastasia?" his voice husky and deep, truly mesmerising "I'm Christian… it's lovely to finally meet you"
She could barely recognise herself, her sudden coyness a surprise as she stumbled over her words.
"Uh… yes. lovely to meet me, um… no! sorry!... YOU! It's lovely to meet you also… Christian"
A brief smile flickered across his mouth, followed by a slow lick of his tongue across his bottom lip.
"Drink?" He gestured towards the bar, his body turning away from her as he caught the attention of the barmaid, not that it was a difficult task, she'd been polishing the same glass for most of their conversation, swooning over him as he spoke "A glass of sauvignon blanc for the lady… please"
She nodded and reluctantly turned away to service his request.
He studied her with cool eyes, she allowed herself a second to really take him in… his hair slightly mussed but not scruffy, a light shade of stubble against his chin, a five 'o'clock shadow more than designer.
His lips parted slightly as the corner of his mouth raised.
He looked every inch the business man, He'd certainly only recently escaped the office as she noticed evidence of a navy silk tie poking out from his jacket pocket.
"Tough day at the office?" she questioned, her fingers toying against the stem of the wine glass that now sat on the bar in front of her.
He scoffed slightly, taking a quick sip of his drink "are we going to make small talk all night Anastasia?" He leaned forwards and she noticed his eyes squint slightly as he watched her legs cross, the dress rising up a little, exposing just enough of her thigh to make his cheeks flush.
"I don't know Christian… I'm on your time right now, you tell me what you'd like to talk about!"
Her words making her head fill with a multitude of questions that she'd like to be firing at him…
'Why had He chosen this bar?'
'Did he have nothing better to do with his weekend?" and finally, the most pressing question of all….
'What need did a man like him have to pay for the company of a girl like her?'