Erika was on her second glass of wine.
A pair of bright navy blue eyes flicked to the ornate clock on the opposite wall as she watched the seconds slowly tick on by. Lulu was late. The fact alone was never really new. With her best friend and room mate being someone's personal assistant, she sort of assumed that she'd be better at time management. Erika had been here for twenty minutes, nestled in the soft and expensive surroundings of the restaurant, absently stroking the soft and expensive material of the stiff white linen tablecloth.
She and Lulu weren't regulars here but they had eaten here a few times. It was usually when either of them had a little spare money. It was also Erika's birthday tomorrow. She expressed that she didn't want a fuss, from either friends or family. Ideally, she'd wanted a quiet weekend away but as soon as Nana Trickett got wind of her granddaughter's desire to run away, all Hell broke loose. She had to go back to Cornwall in the morning and spent time with everyone. Normally, it'd be fine. She'd be enveloped in hugs and kisses and fussed over and be woken up on her birthday morning with heart shaped pancakes. For some reason, a quiet beach never sounded so tempting.
Yawning, she absently twisted a lock of long blonde hair around her index finger casually as she brushed a speck of dust from her
sleek outfit. The white and the simplicity of the cut of her jumpsuit contrasted wildly with her golden hair and her recent tan, her eyes seeming bluer and her freckles more pronounced. Another minute ticked by and she was just about her call it quits when an unfamiliar figure loomed over her.
Erika looked up and into the eyes of a classically handsome man. Tall, dark haired and clean shaven, he wore a smart pressed suit and a smile.
"Is this seat taken?" He asked, his crisp accent smooth like honey. Erika gave him a kind, brief smile. "Yeah, sorry, I'm waiting for someone," came the easy reply as she dropped her eyes back to the menu, wondering if she should order the risotto. She wasn't being rude, it was true and she paid no bother to the man in front of her. She wasn't interested. He looked, and sounded, boring. Very clean cut. She'd seen hundreds of men just like him hundreds of times before. Nothing special.
He laughed, causing her to frown.
"Pretty girls like you shouldn't be made to wait. He doesn't deserve you." The treasure hunter was about to open her mouth to say she was meeting a friend but she choked on her wine when he had the audacity to sit down opposite her. Erika felt decidedly uncomfortable. The man offered what he assumed was a charming smile as he picked up the wine list and reclined, like they were meant to be together. She frowned. "Sorry," she began gently. "That seat is taken. I'm meeting someone?" She ventured again, spelling it out but the man simply caught a nearby waiter and ordered a bottle of red wine. Erika hated red wine.
She stared at him like he'd grown a second head, feeling both hot and cold and all at once. She looked around. No one had noticed his arrival and she was keen to not make a scene and so, she sat tight as the man watched her. He had wolf-like eyes and she didn't like it. A bottle of red wine was produced and two glasses poured. He slid one across to her but it remained untouched. He laughed again.
"Can I not buy a pretty girl a drink?" Erika offered a tight lipped smile. "Of course you can, just not this pretty girl. I told you, I'm meeting someone and oh look! There he is. I'm just going to run to the little girl's room." With that, she snagged her bag and dashed to the bathroom.
In the relative safety of the ladies' loo, Erika dropped her bag into the sink and covered her face with her hands, letting out a groan. The man, who hadn't given her his name, gave her goose bumps. But not in the sexy way. The tall young woman stayed where she was for a good solid five minutes before taking a deep breath and exiting. Looking over at the table, she was relieved to see it vacant. Rather than going back, she headed to the hostess and left a message to let Lulu know that when she turns up, Erika had gone home. Turning on her heel, she slipped back into the restaurant and walked towards the back exit, away from the main street.
"Where do you think you're going?"The voice made her jump and gasp in shock, her eyes wide as she flung her hand to her throat. "You scared me," she whispered as she took an involuntary step backwards. He came forwards, fencing her in, her back pressed against the wall. They were tucked out of the way, near the kitchens. Erika could hear the faint sounds of a familiar song on the radio, along with laughter and the clatter of utensils. The man wasn't touching her but she could feel the heat lingering on his shirtfront and she coughed as the stench of cigarette smoke and too much cologne assaulted her senses.
"Stop it," she told him firmly as he pressed his hands against the wall, either side of her head as she tensed and leaned her body as far away from his as she could possibly go.
"Why?" He purred, making her blood run cold. "I said no," she continued, not meeting his gaze as she attempted to shrink backwards.
"Come on. Your boyfriend didn't show. I can show you things," he added with a sickening grin that made her stomach lurch. "I said no!" Erika shouted, pressing her hands on his chest and giving him a hard shove backwards and away from her.
@Murphy Regan 
