~Introduction~

The light from the café twinkled on the wet puddles that had accumulated in the cracks and postmarks of the road. Their glassy surface occasionally interrupted by a carriage passing through the street. It had collected many uneven edges from the wheels that clacked against it, threatening to break the fragile looking spokes that the nobles glided on.
Booker hesitantly strode forward toward the front door of a corner cafe, getting more nervous with every step. A close friend of his had put him up on a blind date with a friend of a friend. Weird right? At first she had insisted that he meet his date at her coffee shop, but he was not going to have her dorking out from behind the counter, and possibly making an awkward situation disastrous. Also this was a pretty personal subject, to be sharing and conspiring with your landlady over.
Maybe it had hit him wrong, or struck on odd cord when she said that he needed to get out. He didn’t think he needed to get out more; he just didn’t have a lot of success. Romance just wasn’t his department. He usually didn’t think about it all that often. With his career choices, it didn’t leave much room for emotional attachment. The front of the restaurant was nice, the door frame was painted a basil green faded from time, and it’s once vibrant color dimed by the oppressive atmosphere of the city. Despite it decrepit outlook, when mixed with the windowsill flowers it created an impressionistic air, new life in a place of decay, much like mushrooms on a log?

‘Wow that was really weird Book? Where the hell did that one come from? A mushroom…? On a frick’in log? You have got to be shitting me right?’

As he got closer to the door, he looked through the windows to try and catch a glimpse of his date, but the rain drops trailing down the windows from the rain made it rather difficult, especially with the crude pane of glass. For those able to afford it, clear glass was available, but for those who worked harder for their penny, bottem line stock was all you could get your hands on.

Turning the brass doorknob, he stepped inside to be introduced with a blast of warm air. The center of the room was filled with a long double sided shelf filled with product and sentimental merchandise. The wall facing the street was riddled with evenly spaced large windows down from the ceiling to knee height, and fit in with booths, providing some seclusion from the other customers in the place without losing sight of the outside. The inner wall had a rectangle window cut out showing into the kitchen, and a counter with barstools surrounded it. Oddly enough he had never stumbled in here. Living in the city, you tended to identify yourself by the brands you bought, or the places you ate at. He had never really stepped in this particular café. It was always that odd slightly out of the way type of place. In the paper he had read once they made a great oat omelet.
In a booth by the window, Booker saw a single gray coated mare sitting down with a soda bottle. It was then that he noticed her eyes where scanning the room for her mystery date. Before he knew what happened, their eyes met. The whole room, for a fraction of a second, slowed to a total stop as he was encaptivated by her gaze.

Her eye’s where a deep violet, the irises like the inside of a tiger lily. She had a long graceful neck, the delicate muscles straining to see over the heads of the other patrons. Her mane was a rich coal black shade, rolling down a little past her shoulders. A smooth petite jawline overshadowed by her bangs.

As time started to return, his eyes wondered down her shoulder line to the luxurious curves of her waist and hips. Sure he saw plenty of pretty mares out there, but she pulled out all the stops, and damn it he was going to pass this night with flying colors. Her eyes seemed to be studying his figure as well, and a small smile graced her soft pink shaded lips. Probably an overpriced stick of CoverMare...

Ya, he’d bang her…

What?

Her soft smile was all the invitation he needed to gather up the courage to walk up to the booth.

“With a smile like, you’re making me feel underdressed for this date!” Cue suggestive wink, “I take it you are Fiona?” He tried to lace his words with as much honey and charm as he could muster. If his job had taught him anything, it was that first impressions where everything.

“Why yes I am. How very naturally intuitive... I take you’re Booker?” She mimicked his line, completely ignoring his slightly cheesy pickup line.

'So you wanna play the game with just your eyes? Ok, we can work with that. After all, two can play at that game...

“Oh I’m terribly sorry for not introducing myself, yes of course. My friends sometimes just call me Book if you prefer?” Her head flinched a little as if someone had tapped her nose, and her eyebrow rose a little at that last comment in what he presumed to be mild surprise.

“Oh. So Booker, I hope I didn’t drag you out in the cold rain too much. I kind of expected clearer weather tonight, but you know how the factories make it difficult for the weather teams?” Before all the words where out of her mouth, he was already working expressions of dismissal, waiting for the right moment to interrupt and convince her it was not a problem.

‘Always make the client feel comfortable… Make them feel in control of the perceivable situation, focus on pulling the strings from the shadows…’ The words of the Madam rang in his head.

As if to save her an over embellished verbal denial, the waiter showered up to take their order. His off color ginger mane covered over his eyes a little, giving him a rather dopey appearance. His expression gave off a disenfranchised and disgruntled attitude, almost like he was saying, ‘I hate this job and experience intense feelings of regret that I work here. She looks pretty, but you look like you’re going to tip cheap, since the guy always pays the bill… cheap bastard…’

Ok maybe that was just stress talking. But it helped none when he realized he had never seen the menu.
‘Shit I forgot to do my homework! What kind of food can you eat at a café that’s slightly dignified when you are eating it? Nothing like trying to make conversation, while your date plows his face with a… Street style Mayo and Hay Burger? Oh I know, how about giving your date sexy eyes while licking your fingers from… Coffee Grinders fried gratin balls with marinara? That’s a sure winner to set the mood…’
He rubbed his temples as his mind rushed to find something, anything that wasn’t a disaster to eat, good sounding or not. Goddess was a dignified normal stud about to order an overpriced salad? This date was off to a rough start, and it was going to be a long night…

Author's Note

There you go! First chapter posted online! So nothing super exciting in this, I'm just trying to get a feeling for the mood. I'll post Chapter 1 in a day or so, but let me know what you think in the comments. No sex in this once yet, but I'll post a warning in the chapters that do. If you want to see more, please give me a thumbs up, or let me know in the comments what you'd like to see.

Since this is my first story, please don't dislike it, discouragement stunts improvement. Please leave a constructive comment below instead! Thank you!