Introductions are made.

Dani and Spencer engaged in a very rewarding afternoon of pleasure in which Dani came multiple times and Spencer twice. Dani had been sorely tempted to drain the life out of Spencer and leave him completely empty but she wanted to keep some in reserve for when they came back to the hotel later that evening. She’d told Spencer the previous evening that she would give him a night that was all about him and Dani was determined to keep her word.

As they got ready to go out, Dani stayed in contact with Mia. The businesswoman’s last meeting of the day had run long so she would meet Dani and Spencer at the restaurant. Danielle hadn’t met Mia’s husband Dan yet so he would meet them at dinner also and save all the introductions for then.

Dani had to blow dry her long red hair before dinner. She’d got an over-excited Spencer’s cum in it before and needed to wash it out. As she run the hot air through her dark crimson strands Spencer left her in the ensuite to start getting dressed for the evening. When she came out Spencer was in a dark blue Hugo Boss suit.

“Spencer!” Dani cried out when she saw what he was wearing.

“Too much? You don’t like it?” Spencer had been thinking of making a good impression when he met these people that were so important to Dani.

“No! I love it. I just don’t have time to **** you before we go out,” Dani joked as she came closer to Spencer, touching the woollen folds of his suit jacket lapels.

Spencer laughed at his forever-amorous lover. He held up a black tie he’d been thinking of wearing with the suit tonight. “Tie or no tie?”

“No tie,” Dani said, “and let’s undo a couple of these.” Her hands went to the collar of the crisp white shirt Spencer had on and undid the second and third buttons from the top. She opened out the shirt and ran her nails through Spencer’s short and curly chest hair. “I didn’t even know you owned a suit. I’m going to be a puddle all evening.”

Danielle then went to get dressed. Spencer watched as she did. He thought she had missed something initially when wearing nothing besides some sheer black stockings, she asked Spencer to zip her up as she stepped into a figure-hugging little black dress. He could feel himself getting excited and aroused all over again as he realised Dani intended to go out tonight without any underwear on.

Spencer and Dani were the first to arrive at ‘atera’. They went inside and checked with the maître de who told them that their guests hadn’t arrived yet. They were given the option of being seated but instead opted to wait outside until Mia and Dan arrived. As if by luck no more than five minutes later two cabs arrived and Dani saw Mia step out from the yellow cab. She went first to another man who was getting out of a taxi also. They exchanged words and then stepped towards where Spencer and Dan waited.

Spencer barely took in the other man at first. The woman walking towards them was radiant. She seemed tall and long-limbed in her high heels. She was a vision of Southern Asian beauty. Deep brown skin and dark eyes were highlighted with thick perfect lines of mascara. It was the only make-up she was wearing. Her hair was ebony in the night light and ran straight to her lower back. She was in a tailored dark grey evening dress that she could have worn to work it was so elegantly presented. The material welded to her body showed off a figure a catwalk model would have been proud of.

The two women kissed and hugged affectionately in greeting.

Dani made the introductions. “Mia; this is Spencer, my partner. Spencer; this is Mia. The CFO of my bank and the best boss someone could ask for.”

“Lovely to meet you at last,” Mia said as she and Spencer shook hands.

“Likewise,” Spencer agreed. He had noticed her impeccable cultured accent at once.

“Dani; this is my husband Dan. Dan; this is Danielle and Spencer,” Mia took her turn introducing her husband to the group.

“That’s a lovely name you’ve got there Dani,” Dan said with a chuckle as he shook first Dani and then Spencer’s hand.

It was only then that Spencer took his first real look at Dan Maxwell. He was of the same height as Spencer but of a much lighter build. Spencer first noticed his clear blue eyes. He had brown hair that was showing signs of thinning on top. He had the same English way of speaking if not a little more common than his wife’s. He’d worn smart pants and a polo top but Spencer could imagine him in a tweed jacket teaching literature at a university. Dan seemed affable and friendly.

The group made their way inside the restaurant and were shown to their table. A flawlessly present waiter soon made his way over to them.

“Good evening. My name is Phillip and I will be attending to you all evening. The chef is delighted to be presenting to you the Tasting Menu tonight. It’s five courses, all seasonal and under constant evolution.” As he was talking the waiter handed out large menus on a thick piece of card stock paper. There were no choices to make as the Tasting Menu was the only thing ‘atera’ offered. They could choose their drinks though. “We offer a wine pairing. Each wine is individually tailored to the dishes as they are served if you would be interested in that?”

At the mention of a wine pairing, Dani squeezed Spencer’s hand enthusiastically letting him know that’s what she would like. “One of the wine pairings for us and just a beer for myself if I could. Whatever you have is perfect,” Spencer told the waiter.

“Well, if you’re having the wine then so shall I. I wonder what else we have in common besides our names and wine?” Dan Maxwell said.

Mia had to suppress a very strong urge to roll her eyes at her husband right then. “Just a martini for me, please.”

Before their drinks had a chance to arrive, Dani wanted to catch up with what Mia was up to. “I’m so glad we all got a chance to meet like this. I wasn’t expecting you back in the States for another few weeks and just yourself too.”

“Our bank is focusing more and more on the American market as you know. I’m going to be spending an increasing amount of time over here it seems,” Mia explained.

“We may be looking for a place over here. Mia’s had some doubts about staying in London,” Dan interjected.

“Oh, that would be lovely,” Danielle offered happily.

Spencer who had been remaining silent as the work friends talked, thought he caught a pointed frown pass from Mia to Dan Maxwell at the mention of moving here. Was that something she hadn’t wanted to be mentioned? Was there some sort of ongoing argument between the married couple about their living arrangements? Whatever it was, it was passed over quickly as the waiter returned with the first course of the evening and the accompanying drinks. Spencer was seated opposite Dan so had Dani and Mia on either side of him. As they began eating, Dan graced Dani with much of his conversation leaving Spencer and Mia to talk amongst themselves. It was a touch awkward meeting someone for the first time but Spencer couldn’t complain about the view before him, Mia was even more beautiful up close.

“What is it you used to do Spencer? Dani tells me you don’t work any longer,” Mia asked politely.

“I still work. A little bit anyway. Just enough to keep the bills paid. Although it’s not really about the money, it’s more to keep in touch with some of my old contacts.” Spencer kept his schedule relatively light to give the vast majority of his time to Amy and Danielle.

Mia showed no discernible reaction to Spencer’s early retirement that he could tell. In the past, he’d found himself worrying too much if people might be judging him as a loafer for no longer working but at the same time, he hadn’t wanted to appear to be bragging that he’d made his money young and could thereby afford his leisure. As the years had passed since Kirsten passing Spencer had grown more accustomed to saying less and letting people think what they would in peace.

The first course was incredible. A dish that sounded simple enough; Crab, Tomatoes and Artic Rose; and yet it was far better than anything Spencer had eaten in his life. Spencer had no idea how it was even made or how they managed to get so much flavour into something that looked like a plain white disk with some pansies scattered around it. Dani and Daniel seemed to heartily enjoy the serving, engaged in their own dialogue. Mia too, seemed to enjoy the food, even if her and Spencer’s conversation seemed stifled in comparison to their partners. Spencer had tried to keep the tête-à-tête going by asking about Mia’s work but had felt like an idiot afterwards. Mia had told Spencer what she did just as Danielle had said and he struggled to come up with follow-up questions quickly.

The second course arrived in skillful precision just as the dinner guests had time to digest and appreciate thoroughly the flavours that had been served to them. Glasses of wine for Dani and Dan arrived also, Spencer and Mia shaking their head at the offer of any more drinks. This second course followed superbly with the first, building on what had come before it and then exceeding it with even finer culinary craftsmanship. If only the same could be said for Spencer’s dinner talk. Dan seemed to effortlessly gabble away at Dani and had her in fits of giggles more than once. Spencer and Mia had sat there and barely said a word to each other the entire second course. Just as their plates were being taken, Spencer abruptly changed his tact and tried something entirely different with Mia.

“What’s your guilty pleasure and a shameful secret?” Spencer asked Mia out of the blue.

Mia looked surprised to be asked that and Spencer thought he may have offended her as her eyes went wide and a little wild.

Spencer quickly told Mia his answer. “I love to watch travel programs, on TV or online, but I haven't travelled outside the country in almost 20 years.

Mia nodded her head once before cautiously saying, “I like to watch awful reality TV.”

It was the opening Spencer needed as he got Mia talking almost non-stop for the entirety of the next course about a scandalous love triangle between people he’d never heard of and a show he’d never watched. Even if he had no idea who these people were, Spencer was more than content to let Mia speak passionately and animatedly about Daniel, Carolina and Dion from the show Married at First Sight Australia. While the earlier wild look in Mia’s eyes had intrigued Spencer, the enthusiasm she showed while talking about these people captivated Spencer in a way he certainly would not have expected earlier that day. Even more shamefully, Spencer had forgotten Danielle was even there with him for a few minutes. Not that his beautiful redhead girl seemed to mind, she was amply entertained by Daniel.

The delight in newfound conversation relaxed Mia and Spencer so much so that they agreed to join the two Dans' with refresher drinks as the fourth course began.

“So, wait, you didn’t tell me if reality TV was your guilty pleasure or shameful secret,” Spencer teased Mia playfully.

Mia laughed and Spencer adored the sound. “Guilty pleasure,” Mia assured him become giving him a look that belied the truth of her next statement. “I’m not sure I have a shameful secret.”

For the rest of the dinner, Spencer and Mia crested a roller coaster of topics. More TV, travelling, Brexit, the war in Ukraine, Religion and more besides; Mia was a Hindu and had a deep connection with her spirituality that Spencer admired. The one thing Spencer didn’t talk about was his departed wife Kirsten, but he felt safe he could tell Mia all about it if he was to bring it up. It felt peculiar to Spencer that he’d feel so comfortable telling a complete stranger and someone he’d just met about something so deeply personal.

It ended up feeling like just a few short moments and then their dinner was at an end, time rushing by as it always does when people are having a good time. The ladies excused themselves to the bathroom together. Spencer got up to use the Gents with Dan who had very much needed to use the restroom also after several glasses of wine. Lord only knew how Danielle had managed to keep the same amount of liquid inside her as Daniel without needing to pop. Spencer did his business in a cubicle as Dan took the urinal very loudly, the two of them regrouping together at the wash basins.

“Cracking girl of yours Spencer,” Daniel told him. The Brits face rudy from too much to drink.

“She’s something else. As is your wife, you’re a very lucky man,” Spencer said amiably.

“Mmmm,” Dan made a noncommittal sound. Then, “But coorrr yours must be a firecracker in bed. What with the red hair and all.” Daniel's head was swaying around as he tried to focus on Spencer by squinting one eye at him.

Spencer found he didn’t like where the conversation was going so chose to ignore it entirely. Turning off the tap and drying his hands before leaving Dan behind in the bathroom.