Original Black Dress Diva-Part Ten

At seven o’clock, I was all dressed up, called Grayson to let him know I was on my way, and ready to go. I got into my Altima and I entered Grayson’s address into my GPS; I followed all the directions which led to me to Grayson’s house in Los Angeles. His house was a two-story condominium on Wilshire Boulevard. I walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell. Grayson opened the door for me and said to me, “Katherine, glad you make it. Please come right in.” “Your place is very spectacular.” I replied as we walked into the condominium. “Why thank you. Dinner will be ready shortly. You could make yourself comfortable in the living room while I set the table.” Grayson said to me. “Okay.” I replied as I sat on the brick red-colored sofa. While sitting down, I had a noticed a picture of Grayson and his family on the table next to the sofa. I said to Grayson, “What a lovely family picture you have there.” “Thanks, it’s a picture of me, my parents, and siblings. We had our picture taken while on vacation in St. Lucia last year.” Grayson replied. I smelled the aroma from the kitchen and said, “Dinner smells great.” “It’s ready. Join me at the dining room table.” Grayson said to me. I walked into the kitchen and sat at the nicely set dining room table. Grayson served up braised beef short ribs over mashed potatoes on two plates and served tomato slices sprinkled with olive oil, sea salt, and black pepper on a separate plate. He then took out a bottle of 2008 Benziger Cabernet from the wine fridge and poured it in two wine glasses. We savored our dinner and slowly sipped the wine as we talked. “So how long have you been a realtor?” I asked Grayson. “I’ve been working with Coldwell Banker for eight years.” Grayson replied. “I bet it must be very difficult to sell houses in a struggling real estate market.” I said to him. “The market’s struggling, but like other realtors, we’re doing our best to keep thriving under these circumstances. In fact, my family’s into the home business.” Grayson replied as he took a bite of his dinner. “Really? What does your family do in the home business?” I asked him. “My dad’s a contractor/builder/electrician and my mom’s an interior designer/decorator; I have four siblings: two brothers and two sisters. I’m the second of the five. My oldest brother Brent is an architect and my younger brother Tim is in construction. My two sisters, Darla and Janette, are in the business as well. Darla does landscaping and gardening; Janette does plumbing, remodeling, heat installation, and flooring. Plus, I have an aunt, uncle, and cousin who flip houses.” Grayson explained to me. “Wow! That’s very impressive; I swear, you and your family should have your own show on HGTV or DIY Network.” I said to him. “I’m flattered by your compliment.” Grayson replied with a smile. I smiled back at him as I took another bite of my dinner and took a few tomato slices onto my plate. “On the holidays, my family and I would get together to build houses with Habitat for Humanity. We also like to feed the hungry and the homeless because my mother and her family used to be homeless and poor, so we like to give back any way we can. When my mother was little, she had this dream about opening a hospital for the homeless and the poor.” Grayson said. “How very remarkable. I bet your mom does great work when it comes to decorating, especially with centerpieces like the one at the open house this morning.” I replied as I slowly sipped my wine. We stared into each other’s eyes as we ate our dinner and sipped the cabernet sauvignon. Then I said to Grayson, “Dinner’s very delicious, I enjoyed each bite. Plus, you’re a really good cook.” “Why thank you so much. I have the Hello Vino app on my smart phone, which helps me pick wine for whatever meal I’m cooking. Also, I got the braised short rib recipe from the Bon Appetite website. I keep plenty of recipes from websites, cookbooks, and cooking magazines.” Grayson said. We both finished our dinner and took a few sips of the wine. After dinner, Grayson said to me, “Why don’t you take a look around the place while I get dessert ready and clean the kitchen?” “Okay.” I said to him as I got up and walked around Grayson’s condo. I walked up the spiral staircase and even took a look at the balcony/patio area on the second floor, which had a magnificent view of the Pacific Ocean; the balcony/patio even had sleek, yet comfortable furniture, a fire pit, and also a rectangular glass table. “Grayson, your place has the most amazing view of the ocean.” I happily said to him as I went back inside. “I know, those views of ocean are beautiful, relaxing, and calming all at the same time.” Grayson replied as he came from the kitchen with two bowls of ice cream in both of his hands. “I see you made dessert already.” I said to him. “I made two very delicious chocolate caramel banana splits. I figure we have dessert right on the balcony.” Grayson replied. The banana splits Grayson made consisted each of one banana cut in half, three scoops of double vanilla ice cream in the middle, two of the ice cream scoops were topped with chocolate sauce and the middle scoop was topped with caramel, and all three ice cream scoops were topped with whipped cream. Grayson and I relaxed at the balcony, eating banana splits, and all while enjoying the ocean view and of course each other. “I almost forgot to tell you that you look gorgeous tonight.” Grayson said as he looked at me with those chocolate brown eyes of his. “Why thank you very much.” I replied as I took another bite of my banana split. After dinner, wine, and dessert, Grayson walked me to my car because I was about to go home. I thanked him for a wonderful dinner date. “If ever you need to look for a new house, you have my business card.” Grayson said as I about to drive back to Fair Oaks. “Of course, I call you for when I need a new place.” I replied. Once I got home, my cell phone vibrated in my purse. I took the cell phone out from my and read a text message I received from The Elite League. It was from Kwan about my next kill assignment where the pay is seventy-five thousand for the kill and it was scheduled two weeks from today. I replied to Kwan, accepting the assignment. The next day, I called Orabella on the house phone and made several Slumber Party purchases for two big gift baskets I want to make for Simon and Bianca; I even made a few purchases for myself. I then went over to Good Vibes and a nearby pharmacy, both in San Francisco, for a condom/lubricant run. I wanted to both stock up my medicine cabinet and gather some more items for Simon and Bianca’s gift baskets. Once I got home, I read and filled out the Slumber Party Consultant Application and Agreement I received in the mail along with the product catalog before putting it in the mailbox. After that, I gathered my guns and went to the firing range for target practice; I especially want to keep my skills sharp for my assignments. I then went to the gym for my workouts for two or three hours. I came back home from my busy day out and took a hot shower, then I called Clarissa on my cordless phone. She had told me about this big divorce party she’s planning for Piper Newburg, who I recommended to her. Clarissa gave me some of the details about Piper’s divorce party. From what she had told me, Piper’s divorce party was going to be a very big shindig with plenty of food, drinks, activities, and even some entertainment. I then went into my bedroom and looked through my closet for something to wear for my date with Devin on Friday night. Since he’s taking me somewhere nicer than the biker bar where we first met, I thought about wearing a sexy black gown with my favorite pair of black heels. I found this gorgeous black dress that was in my closet; it was a short, black dress with a revealing black lace top and sleeves and a twisted panel overlay at the bust. I had bought the dress while I was pregnant for when I would lose the pregnancy weight, which I did since after my miscarriage. I took it out of the closet, tried it on, and it fit me like a glove. With my date night outfit selected, I got out of the bedroom and went online to my computer to Skype chat with Bianca and Simon. Their wedding anniversary’s the week after next week and three of us have got our travel plans finalized, especially since three of us each planned on going to Las Vegas by car rather than flying. Bianca and Simon were happy that I got a room booked at the Wynn Hotel & Casino on the same floor as their room, so that way we can see and meet up with each other at the hotel. Early Friday morning, I went to town to run a few errands. My first stop of the morning was to the bank, where I both made a withdrawal from my savings account and put my wedding and engagement rings into a safety deposit box for financial emergencies. Then, I went to the gym for my workouts, including two newly added classes to my workout repertoire: kettlebell and hot yoga. I even stopped by the nearest sporting goods store and bought a kettlebell for my own at-home workout sessions. Next, I went to a vitamin store and got myself some sexual wellness products such as female libido enhancement supplements, ginseng, and breast enhancement cream. Finally, I returned home to get ready for my date with Devin. I went into the bedroom, took out that black dress that I looked at yesterday from my closet, and laid it on the bed. Once I picked out my accessories, underwear, and shoes, I took a nice, warm shower in the bathroom: I finished my shower, slipped on my plush bathrobe, and styled my hair into a gorgeous half-up hairstyle. I got myself dressed and was ready for my date. I opened the door and there was Devin; he had a dark sweater, dark jeans, and a black leather jacket. “Devin, you cleaned up nice. I’m so glad to see you again.” I said to him. “You look very gorgeous in that dress, Kat. These are for you.” Devin said as he gave me a bouquet of flowers. “Thank you for the flowers, they’re lovely.” I replied. As soon as I put the flowers in a vase full of water, Devin and I left my house and went out on our dinner date. He had reservations at this local steakhouse/seafood restaurant over in Glendora. As we dined on surf and turf, we conversed on topics such as hobbies, interests, favorite foods, and even working out. “What made you interested in motorcycles?” Devin asked me. “My late husband had two motorcycles, but I mostly rode his Harley. I’ve been taking good care of it since I got my motorcycle license. I’ve never rode a motorcycle in the daytime before.” I replied. “One day, I’m thinking of having my own motorcycle repair shop. I can use another line of work. I personally have been interested in motorcycles since I was a teenager and I’m very good with my hands.” Devin said to me. “That sounds great. I’ve been thinking about starting on a couple of businesses for myself since my departed husband had left me a very large amount of money.” I said to him. After dinner was paid for, Devin then said to me, “Would you happen to know a good place for dessert?” I replied, “There are plenty of places in California for sweet treats. In fact, I know a place right here in Glendora that has the best doughnuts.” We then made a stop at The Donut Man and had doughnuts for dessert. The first one I picked from the dozen was a strawberry-stuffed donut. I took a big bite of the donut and slowly savored every juicy bite of the donut. Then, a strawberry fell off the donut and landed on my napkin. Once I finished eating the donut, I took the strawberry and fed it to Devin. “So what do you think?” I asked Devin. “It’s so delicious. Would you mind if I have the other strawberry-filled donut?” Devin said to me. I looked at Devin and said, “Go right ahead.” Once Devin got the other strawberry-filled donut, I then got two donuts from the box: a chocolate-frosted French cruller and an apple-stuffed cinnamon crumb donut. As I took a bite of one of the donuts, Devin said to me, “The strawberry-filled doughnuts are so damn good!” “They are! You should definitely try the peach-filled doughnuts; those are only available when the peaches are in season.” I responded. “That sounds yummy.” Devin said as he looked into my eyes. I briefly watched as Devin took a devil’s food chocolate cake donut dipped in chocolate frosting and covered with rainbow sprinkles from the box. He broke off a piece and then fed it to me with his fingers. “Delicious.” I said after I ate the piece of that donut. After a while, Devin and I drove back to my home in Fair Oaks. He then walked me to the door. I said to him, “I really had a great time with you tonight, Devin.” “I had a great time with you too, Kat.” Devin replied as he smiled at me. I then gave a sweet, deep goodnight kiss to Devin’s lips before unlocking my front door and getting into the house. “Goodnight, Devin.” I said. “Goodnight, Kat. We should go out again sometime.” Devin said. My date with Devin was just amazing, especially when we fed each other doughnuts for dessert. I had a great time and everything. The next morning, I checked my mailbox and got the mail. I received what looked like an invitation; it was the invite for Piper Newburg’s divorce party. The invitation shaped like a pink-and-purple butterfly. The party was slated for the last weekend of the month, it had a dual theme butterfly by day/naughty girl by night, and it had an agenda which included a spa day at Pampered To A Pulp and a striptease/lap dance/pole dance class at day and drinks at a martini bar and the main party at her house in Palm Springs. I haven’t been to Palm Springs since me and Carl’s wedding, but maybe this time I can make new memories at the party; I was definitely excited about it. Also, I received my premier kit from Slumber Parties in the mail so I can start my side business. I thought to myself, this could make me rich; maybe I can start a sale at Piper’s party. After going through my mail, I worked out, cleaned up, and had breakfast. I then thought about what to do today and then I had an idea: spending the weekend in Los Angeles. I even had my own itinerary of shopping, dining, club hopping downtown and in West Hollywood (or WeHo as the locals call it), and staying a super nice hotel. I went online and booked a reservation to The Ritz-Carlton Los Angeles. Once confirmed, I printed out the papers, packed my suitcase with clothes and necessities, got the keys to both my house and the Phantom, took my purse with my wallet, and drove out to the City of Angels.