Not on the first date, usually

"You and Veevee ever meet any prospective partners in a place like this?" Rashida's shoeless foot slowly moved under the table until it reached Hank's ankle.

"Ah," Hank said, feeling Rashida's toes caressing his ankle. "If you mean, the tablecloths, well, ah, not on the first date, usually."

"Ah ha ha," Rashida said. "And here from what Veevee told me, I thought you were this way out-there couple, always out for an adventure." She smiled across the table at Hank and batted her eyelashes, her toes sliding up his leg. Rashida's big round glasses were tucked away in her designer purse, leaving her bright, liquid brown eyes bare.

"We were pretty crazy back before we had kids," Hank said. "We'd set up a line of fellows for Vee. I'd go first and last."

"Now, that sounds more like what she was telling me," Rashida said with a grin.

"We've slowed down a little," Hank said. "Not that we're getting out less, really, more that we've settled on some regular folks that we see more often."

"Jim and Sally?" Rashida said.

Hank said, "Yup. They're kinda the center of our social circle. As a couple, anyway. And Vee and I have our own special friends. Jordan, for Vee."

"Anyone for you?" Rashida asked.

"Couple good friends. With benefits," Hank said. "So we're pretty happy, and while adventures are nice, well, we're not in as all-fired a hurry to get into it as we were. We like to get to know folks for a while."

Rashida laughed. "So am I an exception, picking me up and running off with me?" she asked. "You devil, you."

Hank grinned. "'Fraid not, Rashida. You come with a strong personal reference from Victoria Virginia Menard, B.A., M.R.S., Cum Loud."

"Ah hah!" Rashida laughed. "She's probably exercising her degree right now. At least that last little bit."

"'Fraid so," Hank said. "How's that make you feel?"

"Competitive," Rashida said.

The waitress came to take their order, pulling the pad from her apron pocket. She was a young woman with her hair pulled back in a severe bun. Her cheeks were golden with sun and the neck of her blouse showed off some muscle development. Hank thought he recognized a permanent eyeliner job. Though she looked not at all Japanese to Hank -- a blue-eyed blonde -- the name on her tag read SAKURA.

"You a swimmer?" Hank asked after she'd taken their order.

"Lifeguard!" she said. "How'd you know?"

"Total guess," Hank said.

The waitress shook her head and laughed. "I'll get your drinks right out," she said.

Rashida frowned at Hank. "How did you know?"

"Dirty old men have their ways," Hank said. "She's got permanent eyeliner tattooed on, that's a swimmer thing, and she's got upper body development, but she doesn't have the build for basketball, she's medium size. With some curves, so not a gymnast. So...swimmer, maybe a fencer or archer."

Rashida laughed out loud. Lowering her voice, she said, "Sherlock motherfucking Holmes. So what do you see when you look at me, huh?" She gave Hank a challenging look and stroked his ankle with her toes again.

Hank smiled across the table.