Page 30 of Haunt the Mall

Jinx lifted his head and blinked at me.

He was probably right. I was overthinking this. It was nothing more than a nice gesture, and I was fine with hooking up, right? No problems here. I texted my date back.

< Me: Taking full advantage of your discount, I see :P >

< Victor: You should have the chance to sample everything. Especially if you plan on spending a lot more lunch breaks at the theater. >

Ah, so he did want to spend more time together. At the very least, he planned on feeding me. All green flags so far.

< Me: Are we also sampling movies? >

< Victor: If you like. Although there is one in particular I was thinking might be fun. The showing is at 5:30. I’d like to keep the actual title a mystery. >

What was with him and obscurity?

< Me: How am I supposed to decide if I want to see it? >

< Victor: It’s more thrilling than scary. Kinda funny, actually. >

Hmm… Were there any new movies that fit the bill?

< Me: I could just look up the listing. >

< Victor: Trust me. It’s a top-tier Halloween movie. >

Trust? A stranger? Although I did know his name now. Another text popped on my screen.

< Victor: Also, you and your cat are really pretty. >

I cackled, then kissed my cat’s head. Jinx blinked and purred louder.

< Me: Okay, maybe you do have good taste. For now, Jinx approves. I’ll see you at 5:30 >

It wasn’t that he called me pretty. That was the baseline flirting, although complimenting my cat was extra endearing.

For some reason, he wanted to surprise me. So far, all his surprises made me happy. Maybe he was onto something.

Somehow, I managed to make it to Thursday night without spontaneously combusting. I applied extra deodorant, slathered myself in blackberry-scented lotion, and applied some kiss-friendly lipstick in case things went well. My eye liner was on point. Hopefully, this date would be too.

The thick platforms on my boots rippled with anticipation with each step towards the theater lobby. He was waiting for me, leaning on the railing. Ribbons from the lace-ups on either side of my gray plaid dress brushed my arms and thighs as I hurried closer. He wore a gray button-down shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and a black tank top underneath. A thin silver cross hung from a chain loosely draped around his neck. He looked up to admire the widow. The long stretch of his exposed skin tempted me to nibble on his collar bone.

At the sound of my footsteps, he glanced over and smiled.

My insides rattled and soared. I wanted to leap into his arms and take him right on the staircase. The widow would approve, right? She was all about taking virile men.

His gaze dropped to my bouncing boobs, but once his brain restarted, he stood up straighter and unclipped the band ‘fence’ separating us.

“You look lovely,” he said.

“You do too. Are you allowed to mess with work stuff off-duty?” I teased.

He leaned in close, grazing my skirt as he re-clipped the band. “No one's going to stop me. I only let my dates tell me what to do.”

Fuck that rumbling voice. It went straight to my pussy. I raked my nails across his side and smiled. “Where are we going?”

He gestured to the staircase and bowed slightly. “Theater number thirteen.”

I arched my brow. “Mm, lucky.”