Murphy's Date

A Murphy Adventure

The other Murphy stories can be found here (in order):

Murphy's Loss

Murphy's Moment

A Day at the Office

Sex Witch

Murphy smoothed his rumpled red tie with his calloused palm, gave his trenchcoat a quick fluff, then walked in to meet Evie. Running his fingers along his stubbled jaw, he wondered if he should have shaved. The thought sent a flutter of nervous excitement through him. Yes, they had already had sex once, in his office, after an action-packed night. But this was different. This was romance. And he didn’t do romance.

It had been a while since he’d been on a date. After Louise had died, he hadn’t felt much like dating. Gut twisting with the memory of the afternoon she’d died, he reached his hand to the long-healed scars from the entry wounds of the two bullets that had struck him that day. He’d nearly died himself. Sometimes, he wished he had.

Evie’s gorgeous smile illuminated the room as she caught sight of his unkempt form. He returned it, but he knew that the troubled look in his eyes remained. It always did when he thought of Louise. He hoped she didn’t see it.

“What is it, Murphy?” she asked, arched brow furrowing in concern.

Fuck.

“It’s nothing. Just thinking about something that happened a long time ago…” Still bathed in sadness, Murphy’s eyes gained a measure of warmth, at least, as his eyes took in Evie’s sumptuous curves.

She looked beautiful. Her dark tresses were bundled in an elegant updo, dark chocolate eyes glimmering in the dimly flickering candlelight of the expensive restaurant. She rose with an elegant grace that spoke volumes of her athletic ability.

Evie had already bailed him out of a couple of dicey situations. He could normally take care of himself, but when the supernatural was involved, sometimes he needed an ally that was slightly more than human.

Evie stepped up, grabbed him by the lapels and gave him a sensual kiss. If it was meant to take his mind off Louise, it worked. Her soft lips sent fireworks of sensation through him, as did the light brush of her breasts against his muscled chest as she finally pulled away.

“Better?” she asked with a coy smile.

“Much,” Murphy replied. He meant it. His only thoughts now were of her. Especially her lips.

“Come on then. They have a table for us.”

Walking behind her, he couldn’t help but let his eyes drop to her well-formed ass. It looked spectacular, encased as it was in her black satin sheath dress.

Biting his lower lip, eager for a wonderful evening with his mysterious, alluring date, he followed her lithe form to the table. When they were both seated, he opened the menu, pretending to read it, but his eyes drifted over the top to watch her study her own menu. He admired the way her jaw set as she concentrated.

Suddenly, her shadowed gaze found his eyes, and she spoke softly in that velvet voice of hers.

“I think I’ll have the steak.” The announcement was accompanied by a mischievous smirk. “What are you having?”

“I, uh, think I’ll have the…” Murphy scrambled to scan the menu, unwilling to admit to surreptitious ogling rather than paying attention to the dinner selections. This was their first actual “date”, after all. He read the first thing he saw on the menu. “...Eggplant Parmesan.”

Evie raised a perfectly waxed eyebrow.

“Really? I hadn’t realized you were the vegetarian type, Mr. Murphy.”

Vegetarian? And he hated eggplant. Shit!

Watching the horrified expression explode over his features with glee, Evie laughed melodically.

The waiter approached at that moment, took their wine orders, and left. Thankfully, Evie had ordered the wine. If it were up to him, he would have simply ordered the cheapest bottle on the list, taste be damned. That probably wasn’t the best way to impress a date.

***

“I’m impressed at your performance on our first two cases together, Mr. Murphy,” Evie said slyly, pausing to ensure the double entendre didn’t go unnoticed. Watching his eyes widen slowly as he put together her full meaning, a pleasant warmth filling her belly, she continued. Oh, how she loved to tease Murphy. Such fun…

“I’m going to have to leave soon, however, to return the grimoire we obtained to the council in England. That doesn’t mean, however, that we can’t take full advantage of our time together before we leave tomorrow.”

A blush crept up Murphy’s face, and Evie felt the corners of her mouth curl upward once more. She brushed his leg with her own, just to add to the effect.

Now, Murphy couldn’t even meet her eyes, darting them around hers in sudden birdlike movements.

“So… what did you have in mind?” He tried to play the same flirtation game she was, but he was way out of his league. She loved this sort of banter. In these waters, she was the shark, and he was the guppy. A very cute guppy.

“I was thinking more along the lines of bodies than minds,” said Evie, white teeth shimmering in the dim light as she eyed his reaction this time. She was circling her prey, toying with him.

Murphy’s blush deepened.

Introverts were so much fun, thought Evie, leaning forward to catch his attention with her full, crimson lips before adjusting her position in her seat to bring her bare knees less than an inch from his. Close enough for Murphy to feel her body heat through his pants.

As the waiter returned with their wine, Murphy deferred the tasting to her. Raising the glass languidly to her lips, she made a show of placing their soft flesh on the glass and pouring the taste of wine onto her tongue. Swirling it around, allowing the swirl of oaky tannins to absorb into her palate, her eyes never left those of her date. She puckered, then swallowed.

“Is the wine satisfactory, madam?” the waiter intoned.

“More than satisfactory,” Evie said, her eyes never leaving Murphy’s to find the waiter.

“Excellent! May I ask the lady for her order?” the waiter asked Murphy.

He shook his head, as if out of a trance, and replied.

“Y-yes. Go ahead.”

Finally, Evie turned her attention to the waiter. He fidgeted under the simmering intensity of her dark gaze.

“I’d like the steak, please. Rare.” She cast a sidelong glance at Murphy, who swallowed hard.

“I’ll have the, um, eggplant,” said Murphy with a wrinkle of his nose.

“Excellent choice, sir,” said the waiter before taking their menus and hustling off. Murphy didn’t look so certain, expression vaguely disgusted.

“I admire you, Mr. Murphy. I have a hard time ordering anything without meat,” Evie told him. Much to her amusement, he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. His knee brushed hers, and she felt a tingle of excitement herself. Tonight was going to be fun, she decided right then.

“Yeah, well. I usually don’t. Not really sure why I did this time.”

He raised the napkin to his forehead to dab away the beads of sweat that had formed. Time to raise the heat another notch, Evie thought.

“I really appreciate you helping me rescue Steph, Murphy.” It wasn’t untrue. Seduction was one of the arts she’d been trained in, but the fact that she was lavishing her full effort on Murphy was a testament to the attraction she felt toward him.

Remembering the feel of his steely arms under her fingers as she’d kissed him in the reception area, she felt her knees weaken slightly.

But she needed to see how he would react to this…

“She’s my ex, you know.”

Murphy took the news better than she’d expected, for the first time this evening turning the tables on her.

“Figured. After seeing the two of you interact,” he said, with a knowing smile.

Drat! She remembered. He was a detective. Apparently, a pretty good one.

“That doesn’t surprise you?”

Murphy seemed to grow more comfortable as the conversation turned to his area of expertise.

“Evelyn, I’ve seen a lot of shit. That? It’s nothing.” He seemed amused, his green eyes twinkling.

He leaned forward, the guppy beginning to grow fangs.

“You should see some of the stuff I’ve photographed for my clients. Some of it’d make you go green. Others’d make your toes curl.”

Evie considered his words. Maybe it was true. She’d seen quite a bit, but mostly in the supernatural realm. She probably hadn’t explored humanity’s underbelly quite like he had.

Murphy leaned back, relaxing for the first time that evening, just in time for their dinners to arrive. Evie smiled, a buzzing warmth filling her upon seeing the man in his element. Respect filled her eyes, as she realized that this guppy wasn’t quite as easy prey as she originally thought.