The Sweetest Honey

A Dinner

(Clara’s point of view)

Wendy and I got home from the mall and have been getting ready in record time. I have been scrubbed, washed, and dolled up. My skin is so beautiful, and Wendy helped me paint my nails a shimmery gold. I have my hair down with my waves looking bouncy and light. I have my lacey black bra and thong set on, but I am waiting for Wendy to finish my makeup before I put my dress on.

“Where did you get that necklace, Clara?” “Mom gave it to me to wear on my date. She said my dad gave it to her on their wedding night.”

“Oh that is so sweet. It gives me some good vibes.”

I hear my phone buzzing. It probably is Goliath.

“Hold on, Clara, I know you want to get that. Just let me put some of this tinted chap stick on you, and you are done.”

I look in the mirror and can’t believe my eyes. I look so beautiful yet natural.

“I love it Wendy thank you so much.”

“No problem at all, Clara. All I ask is if you get pregnant tonight, you name that child after me.”

“Wendy! That is not going to happen!”

“I don’t know, Clara. I got you looking super hot, and I know you really like this guy.”

She says, raising her eyebrows up and down.

“Just stop it!”

I say laughing, getting up to check my phone.

“Oh no, he is already here.”

I say in a panic. Wendy runs over with my dress and helps me step into it. She zips up the back and puts my shoes down to step into. I take one last look in the mirror, and I really feel good about myself despite my nerves. I text him that I am ready and will be at the door in a minute.

“Clara just be yourself and don’t stress it. That man would have to be out of his mind to not instantly fall for you.”

“Thank you, Wendy. Will you walk me down the stairs? I feel a bit wobbly from my nerves, and the shoes don’t help my balance.”

“ Shure, Clara, it would be an honor.”

She puts her arm around mine, and we walk to the door together. Sure enough, he knocks on the door just as we get there. I opened the door, and I was already feeling flustered just looking at him. He is taller than I remember. Even in these tall wedges, he towers over me. He is wearing a white tank that shows his tattoos and slightly tanned skin. Oh, the muscles he has make me feel things I never felt. At first, we don’t say anything at all. We are both just guilty of checking each other out. I finally look into his eyes, and he gives me a smile with those sexy dimples. I smile back, lost for words.

“These are for you.“

He hands me a dozen red roses wrapped up beautifully. They look so fresh and vibrant. “Clara how about you let me put those in water for you, so you two can go before your mom decides to drop in.”

“Great idea! Thank you, Wendy.”

I hand her the roses and give her a half hug. Goliath puts out his arm for me to take. When I take it, I feel tingles all over. He carefully walks me down the front steps, and when I look up, my jaw drops. A limo! That can’t be for us, can it? Sure enough, he walks to the limo, and he opens the door for me. “Thank you!”

I step in, and it is so big we could fit a party back her. He gets in and sits next to me. “Clara, you look absolutely breathtaking.”

I can feel my cheeks heat up from blushing so hard.”

“Thank you, You look very handsome as well.”

He smiles and reaches behind him. When he turns back around he hands be a small, beautiful, wrapped box.

“I got this for you too, I hope you like it.” I feel so special right now. I have never gotten a gift from a guy before. I slowly open the box carefully so I don’t ruin the bow on the front. Inside is a pair of beautiful golden hoop earrings.

“I noticed your ears were pierced, but I didn’t know if you had a metal allergy. So I went with the highest quality gold I could find.” “Thank you, they are absolutely beautiful.”

I pick them up and put them in my ears. “They match the necklace my mom gave me.”

I look up at him, and something feels different.

“Clara that is a really nice necklace. Where did she get it?”

He seems kind of weird, but maybe that’s just in my head.

“She said my father gave it to her on their wedding night.”

“That is really nice. Are they still married?” He asks.

“Actually he passed away when I was two.” He looks sad now. I feel tingles as he grabs my hand and holds it.

“I am so sorry to hear that.”

I cut him off.

“Please don’t worry about it. It happened a long time ago.”

I take his hand into mine, now interlocking our fingers.

“What about your parents? Are they married?”

He gives me a cute, goofy smile.

“My parents are married and stupid in love.”

He says, looking into my eyes.

“That is so beautiful they are lucky.”

I feel the car slow down.

“Before we get out, Clara, I have to ask, do you like sea food?”

“Goliath good luck finding a food I don’t like.”

He let out a little growl that stirred my heart.

“I like a woman with a hardy appetite.”

I can feel the blush on my face. I have never experienced someone who desires me like that, and I am not used to it. I can’t say I don’t like it.

“Well this is our first stop. I wanted to get some real food in you before we get to my next surprise.”

He opens the door and puts out his hand to help me out. I take it, and he gently helps me out of the limo. I stand up and smooth out my dress. When I look up I see that we are at a nice sea food restaurant. I hope I look ok enough for this.

“Clara I want you to order anything and everything you want. Tonight is on me don’t you worry about a thing.”

He puts out his arm again to help me with the few steps. I gladly take it.

“Are you sure Goliath? I don’t want you to overspend on me.”

He stops and stands in front of me, holding the sides of my arms.

“Clara, you are so kind, selfless, and beautiful it only takes a short time of knowing you to see it. Let me treat you like the queen you are.”

He takes my left hand and kisses the back of it. I shiver as pleasure ripples through me. My heart is beating so hard right now that I am scared he will hear it. I can’t say anything, so I shake my head up and down. This time, he wraps his arm around my waste and leads me in. As soon as we get to the hosts podium, the host gives us a little bow.

“Mr. Throttle it is a pleasure to see you. Would you like your usual table?”

“Yes, thank you.”

I can’t help but raise a brow. Does he bring a lot of dates here or something? Why am I feeling a ping of jealousy? We get led to a special table that has it’s own platform. Goliath pulls out a chair for me, and I take a seat, then he sits down across from me. “ Could I start you two off with some drinks?” the waiter asks.

“I will take a glass of ice water and a glass of sweet tea. What would you like, Clara?”

“I will take the same thing, thank you.”

The waiter walks away.

“So Goliath, do you bring a lot of dates here?”

"They seem to know you well.”

Someone, please just shut me up. I can’t stop my jealous mouth from spewing out words. He gave me an amused look.

“I haven’t been on a date in years. They know me because I own the restaurant.” Wait, what?

“You own the restaurant we are in now?” “Yup since I was 18.”

“You haven’t been on a date in years?”

He chuckles.

“No I dated a girl when for a couple of years when I was younger and it went badly enough. I decided I wanted to wait for my m… for the right woman.“

I am unsure what baffles me more. The fact that he owns a business or that this hunk of a man made it that long without dating. Of course, that is just dating and not other things. I push that thought out immediately. “So how did you get a business at such a very young age?”

“My family owns many, so my parents divided them between my sister and I once we became legal adult.”

“Oh, you have a sister. What is she like?” “Her name is Mindy, and she is a brute.”

“A brute?”

“She is tough to the core, but she loves her family and will do anything for us.”

“Do you have any siblings?” he asks.

“No but I live with my best friend Wendy. She has been a sister to me for most of my life. We hope to own a business together in the future.”

The waiter comes back with our drinks and starts to pile a bunch of appetizers on the table.

“What is all this?” I ask, looking at the delicious food.

“Well I wanted to make sure you weren’t afraid to order what you wanted, so I ordered everything. Go ahead and eat anything you want.”

I look around, and I see cheddar biscuit, deep fried pickles, mozzarella sticks, salads, and baked potatoes.

“ We can’t even eat all of this. I don’t want to waste anything.”

He stops and seems to be thinking.

“How about you choose what leftovers you want to take home for your family, and I will send anything else to mine.”

I smile not just at the thought of my family eating well, but he actually cared enough to think of a solution.

“That is a great idea, thank you. Actually, thank you for all of this.”

“Your welcome, Clara. You haven’t even seen half of it yet, though.”

He grabs a plate and puts a bit of everything on it, and hands it to me. Then, he grabs a biscuit and takes a bite. I look down at my plate, not sure what to eat. I think I will try some of the salad it looks really fresh. I take a few bites chewing slowly, thinking about what Wendy said at lunch. I decided to try a mozzarella stick now that it doesn’t look too hot. I take a bite, and it tastes so good.

“It has been years since I have had a mozzarella stick.” I tell Goliath.

“Well I am happy to see you like it.” He says. A bunch of waiters come out and fill our table with a bunch of delicious sea food. There is lobster and shrimp and all types of pastas. Goliath asks the waiters to box up our appetizers, and I hand them my plate. “Goliath I don’t know how to use these.”

I point to some metal shell crackers.

“How about I crack open some crab and lobster for you?”

“Yes please!”

I say excitedly. He begins cracking the hard shells with his bare hands. At first, I thought how amazing it must be being that strong, but now I feel a storm going through my mind. I can’t help but think about my ex and how he used his strength against me. The room starts to spin, I feel panicked like I am there again.