When The Rain Washes You Clean, You'll Know {M}, Erika.

November 11th, 2011
7:00 p.m.
Erika's Apartment

It was almost silly to imagine his life before finding Erika, and Robert didn't like to be one of those types. Still, after meeting her in the coffee shop that day, Robert couldn't imagine his life without her in it. If things continued the way they were moving, he didn't think he'd have to, but naturally he kept that little part silent. In fact, he and Erika hadn't had the whole future discussion yet, and he wasn't sure he wanted to bring it up. After four failed attempts at marriage, Robert wasn't sure if walking down the aisle was his destiny.

That didn't mean he hadn't looked for a ring, he wouldn't be mentioning that either to the girl. Robert had a bad habit of being foolish like that, but Erika wasn't just any girl. In fact, she wasn't like any girl he had dated before and that worried him. His family was concerned with her age, but his family didn't need to meddle into his business, he was old enough to make his own decisions. They certainly weren't the perfect couple, and he was glad of that but it wasn't like they were incompatible.

She'd met his daughter, which suprisingly took the whole Dad dating someone new very well, sometimes Robert wondered if his daughter wasn't a tad bit biased with her choices of liking and disliking people. His last fiancee, chosen courtesy of the Vow, didn't make it past the first meeting though he could blame that on himself for the most part and his attraction to another woman. The woman of interest in that equation was his destination tonight. A phone call was all it took for Robert to know his plans for the evening, a nice little dinner with his girlfriend.

He didn't like that word, it felt like it didn't suit them, it seemed too simple to work right. If he had his way, soon he'd be calling her his wife. For now, it would have to, people just didn't get married on their first date; in normal circumstances. Sophia's mother had her tonight, so he wouldn't have to worry about coming home early to take care of her. It made things easier and more difficult, having Victoria in the same town as he, but he was used to it by now; he had to be, she was here to find her soul mate just like he once was.

He didn't have to look anymore, he already found her. He was willing to let things happen for themselves. Still, he was nervous about tonight, even as he tried on three different suits. Dressing for court was one thing, that was business but this was romance and he didn't want to do anything wrong. He didn't want to risk losing Erika over something stupid that he didn't think about. The drive from his house in the Hills to her apartment in the Singles Complex made him realize that she should move in with him, but he doubted that she would anytime soon.

He hoped he wasn't overdressed, he had a problem with that. But, he figured it was to always better to be overdressed than under dressed, then at least you could just remove articles of clothing until you got it right. This would mark the first time they'd been alone in a place of residency, and that made him nervous because there was the chance that if they got along they could possibly sleep together. He wondered if he should pick up essentials, just in case.

He stopped at a florist, picking up a dozen red roses, making a quick dash into Mayberry's so he could pick up some protection and finally, he made his way over to Erika's. He sat in his car for a few minutes before finally getting out and making his way to her apartment. He knocked on the door gently, trying to maintain calm and hide his nervousness. The door opened and he saw the face of the woman he was falling in love with. "You look beautiful, as always." He said with a smile, placing a gentle kiss on her lips. "These are for you." He said handing her the roses, nervous beyond belief about tonight.

Erika had been cleaning her little apartment almost obsessively. She'd been raised to feel that when company was coming over, you put your best foot forward, not just to impress them with your ability to keep a living space relatively immaculate, but also to show how much you cared about them coming over. You wanted to offer your best, which included the place they were visiting. Granted, Robert probably wouldn't care if her apartment was a bit untidy, especially given the hours that she worked. So what? She was still going to clean obsessively, and cook a lot, and hopefully not lose her poor mind before he got there. Erika had never been the patient sort. Waiting actually kind of killed her inside. It left too much time for her to go back and overthink and talk herself out of things. In this case, however, she couldn't talk herself out of it if she wanted to, because Robert was coming over. Her eyes widened, and she shoved her Swiffer mop back into the cleaning closet.

Shit, he was going to be there in less than an hour, and she wasn't ready. At all. She rushed through a shower and got dressed, trying for casual, but a little nicer than usual, but still kind of flirty without being skanky. She looked at herself, with her damp hair still twisted into a bun on the top of her head, and frowned ever so slightly. Was the bright orange bra strap showing a bit too much? Would it look sexy and flirty, or would Robert just think it was trashy? That was another thing she was a little nervous about- Robert came from money. Serious money. Were this a Jane Austen novel, her mother would be trying to scheme Erika into an arrange marriage with the man, and she'd be too headstrong and proud to entertain the idea. This wasn't a Jane Austen novel, though, an all Erika could do was sigh and hope it looked alright, and try to do something with her hair. God, the things women went through to impress a man!

With a final nod, she looked herself over in the mirror, pushing her glasses back up her nose. Wait. Glasses? Argh. Naturally, the moment she realized that she needed to switch out said glasses for contacts, was the moment she heard a knock on her door. She skidded a little on the freshly-cleaned floor, but managed not to fall. She stood in front of the door for a moment and took a deep breath. Be cool, Erika. Be cool. She opened the door and smiled, melting a little inside. "Thanks," she said, blushing ever so slightly and leaning up on her tip-toes to accept Robert's kiss. "Rob, they're beautiful! Come in, please." She was beyond nervous; this was the first date she'd had in a long, long time, and it was just... nerve-wracking! "I'll put these in some, um, water. So, this is my apartment, be it ever so, uh, humble. Make yourself at home. Dinner will be ready in probably 15."

Despite the fact that Erika would probably never wear the designer clothes the women in his family adored with all their hearts, Erika was always going to be the most beautiful woman in any room she entered. She could have been wearing sweatpants and a ratty old t-shirt and she still would have left him breathless. Without a doubt, Robert knew that he was in love with this girl and that was all that mattered to him for the time being. To him, as long as she loved him back, the rest of the world could just stop and he'd be fine.

Well, that was a lie. He actually would care if his daughter died or his family, as much as they hounded him, he still cared about them, and he had to. There was some unspoken rule about family that guaranteed that you love them without boundaries, without conditions. It was something of a nuisance sometimes, his family and their behaviors but he tolerated it, because they were a part of him and he were of they. They were different now than what they had been, years ago he would have never imagined the day his family being deemed normal, especially his sister.

He was happy for her, after all. Glad that she had finally found someone to marry, possibly have children with but he also knew that he wanted the same, unfortunately a company couldn't give him that, the mother of his daughter could not give him that and sadly, Erika was much too young to be a wife and a mother. He was sure of it, he didn't even need to ask her, he knew that it was completely out of the question. Plus, how could he expect her to give up her youth to settle down completely with him?

Nonetheless, her apartment was spotless, he was impressed. Of course, it would have been a slight turn-off if her place looked less presentable than a zoo but it wouldn't be a deal breaker, it would just show that they would need a maid in their home. That was okay, he didn't need a stepford wife or anything. Plus, he was sure if and when him and Erika got married, she wouldn't want to give up her career just to be a wife. Plus, if he were a woman and did that, he'd probably be bored out of his mind, he liked working, kept him busy.

He had to stop himself from smiling like a fool, really she was too adorable for words. He really lucked out when she entered the Starbucks and accepted his coffee, some women would probably be offended. Apparently, some people didn't believe in chivalry anymore and that was just sad. Chivalry wasn't dead, men were just getting lazy. She was also wearing glasses, a pleasant surprise. Some girls were opting to wear contacts just to hide themselves but really, that was sometimes as annoying as plastic surgery. It was nice to see someone natural, and how they were meant to be seen.

Never would he have believed himself to be lucky enough for someone to love him for reasons other than his wallet. Some girls really had no boundaries as to what they would do just to make it in the world without working at all. That was probably why the world as falling apart, greed and pure laziness. "Your apartment is lovely, just as you are." He took it all in, the casual feeling of it. Well lived in, and well loved as it appeared. He sat down on her couch, nervously rubbing his hands on his pants. "I've been looking forward to being alone, just you and I and this nice little apartment."

Erika blushed a little as the door closed behind Robert and he complimented her apartment and her. She tried to keep it nice and homey, but she was sure that it wouldn't be anything like what Robert would be used to. An intern's salary, after all, was... not that great. Especially not at a hospital like Evergreen Memorial. Especially not for the medical examiner. It was as modest as she was, and just as practical, but it was home, and it was hers. Ducking her head and grinning a little, she went over and got a bottle of wine and a couple of glasses out of her kitchen cupboard. Again, probably not as ritzy as Robert was used to, but good all the same. "Would you like a glass?" Upon his affirmation, she poured the wine into the glasses, offering him one and taking a small sip. She wasn't the drinking kind, usually, but she just needed one glass to steady her nerves.

This wasn't just a date that she was on to placate and reassure her family that no, she wasn't a lesbian and no, she wasn't going to end up old and alone and talking more often to dead people than to those who were alive (thanks, guys). This was a guy she really, really liked, who she could see herself possibly having a relationship with. She actually cared about what he thought of her. She wasn't the kind of girl guys like him usually went for; she couldn't help but feel like she had some sort of deficiency to make up for. Not because of anything that Robert had said or done, but just because she was... her. Nerdy and a tad morbid and awkward and, on top of everything else, short. So, yeah. Just a little something to give her a little confidence boost.

And it did. It steadied her nerves so much, in fact, that she wasn't even embarrassed that she found herself in a mildly compromising position with Robert, with her perched on her kitchen counter, sighing softly as he kissed down her neck, her head tilted back to give him better access. She'd only had a glass (or possibly two...) of wine, but she was a little bit giggly. She nudged him a little with her almost-bare shoulder, putting a hand on either side of his face and kissing him sweetly. Her hands slid back into his hair, pulling him a little closer. She'd never... just done this before. Not with an actual emotional component that she would own up to. In fact, Erika could count the number of guys she'd slept with on one hand. Shut up, brain, she thought silently, as she wrapped her arms around Robert's neck. She didn't want to ruin a potentially very good thing by overthinking it, as she was wont to do.

No, she wasn't going to overthink. Instead, she was going to divulge him of that vest that he'd come in wearing. It was very attractive, but Erika couldn't help but feel as if it might look better... on her bedroom floor. Or kitchen, since that's where they were when she finally got the buttons undone. She giggled a little and slid herself off the counter, taking the opportunity to press the length of her frame against his, just to be a little bit of a tease. Taking his hand, she gave him a playful smirk and led him down the hall to her room. If this was happening, their first time together ought to be done right, you know?

It was all an experience, he wasn't sure how they wound up in such a situation, him walking into the Starbucks that day, running into her and meeting her. It was almost unrealistic, people ran into one another all the time, didn't mean they ended up at an apartment together, clearly on the same mental wave length of not leaving that said apartment until morning. It didn't matter about the money, whether he had plenty and she had just enough, he couldn't be think that way, he knew it was against whatever type of code his parents tried forcing upon him, but he wasn't better than Erika, he was equal to her.

This just wasn't some girl, taking her back to her apartment and lying her down to fuck, it would be in some sense beautiful because he did care about her. Even if he didn't entirely love her, she was so much better than a one night stand, the mere idea that they were here together with the promise that he was going to get as close to her as possible was astounding. Everything about her was so inviting, whether it be her eyes or her lips, slightly parted, almost perfect, just needing his lips against hers to complete them.

So, he lost control. He was a man, men in positions like this were allowed to become animals while they fought the urge in area below their belt, the fire heating up inside of his groin, he couldn't blame it entirely on the wine, he knew full damn well that the girl before him as sexy and he'd be a fool to deny the fact that he wanted her. It was unfair, fighting the urge to just throw her on the bed, pin her hands down and have his way with her, he would have to behave himself for just a tad bit longer.

It was the press against her lips, his hands moving just so slightly to position her on the counter. Fuck control, he wouldn't be a gentleman tonight, tonight he'd just be a man. The way her skin felt pressed against his mouth as he made his way down her neck, moving her hair as he kissed her collarbone. Her hands were as desperate as his mouth as he felt their movements, causing a grin to stir on his face. The movement of her body pressed against his momentarily was enough to make him let out a gentle groan.

Sliding his hands underneath her bottom, her legs wrapped around his, he kissed her again, hardier, more needier as he felt himself grow harder in expectation. An original gentle idea turned into something more lust based, with her in his arms, he pressed her back against the wall. His body pressed against hers, moving so that his groin rubbed against her pelvis. "I'm going to fuck you Erika, " His hands roaming the range he had while holding her up, "I want this off, now." Tugging desperately on the fabric of her shirt.