Free Wait for Me in Vienna by Lana N. May Page A

journalism? Darn it, she didn’t even know his last name. What if he really was a criminal or a small-time crook? What if she fell in love with some sort of scumbag? He probably was, especially since she was already falling for him, and there wasn’t any going back.But she would definitely draw the line if he was a murderer or something.
    A little while later, a text arrived with the Thai restaurant’s address. Her doubts fell by the wayside. Overcome by the joy of having a real first date, she pirouetted around the apartment.

    In her enthusiasm, Clarissa made a huge mess in the kitchen. The potatoes were already in the oven, and the sauce for the potatoes—a nice sauce with coarsely chopped chives—was already cooled off and put aside. She lovingly marinated the steaks for a little while. All she had to do was throw them in the pan. The last step in preparing a good steak was an art. Everything depended on the cooking temperature, flipping the steaks at the right moment, and cooking them just long enough.
    Thomas would be home soon, and Clarissa wanted to change into the little black dress that she’d gotten as a gift at her last job. It was a refined, tight little number, which showed just enough cleavage to stir up the lust of anyone with a pulse. Clarissa knew that she looked stunning. She had curled her hair with a curling iron ahead of time, then pinned it up, pulling out a few sexy strands around her face. The strands were almost as sexy as her dress or, actually, almost as sexy as her body looked in the dress. She wore a burgundy kiss-proof lipstick, which promised another exciting night. She or Thomas would clean up the kitchen later. After all, she had gone to all this trouble to cook.

    Johanna made her way to the Thai restaurant. She wore jeans and a black top. She styled her hair with a blow dryer and wore just a hint of blush on her cheeks, a little mascara, and lip gloss on her lips.
    Linda had suggested the pink blush. “Pink makes every woman glow,” she had insisted when Johanna asked for advice.
    Daniel was waiting for her at the Thai restaurant. He sat in a little alcove by the entrance. The atmosphere was romantic, and his face looked soft and warm in the candlelight. When he saw Johanna, he smiled. He stood up to greet her as he smoothed down his dark-brown pants that he wore with a beige Versace shirt. He was stylish and elegant. Johanna liked that.

    Thomas came home to the aroma of baked potatoes. Clarissa met him in the hall.
    “Hello, sweetheart. I cooked for you,” she said, smiling.
    Thomas was surprised.
    “We’re having juicy steaks with potatoes, salad, and a good Cabernet Sauvignon from our last vacation. You remember the nice wine grower,” she explained.
    Thomas was very pleased, mainly because Clarissa had actually made an unselfish effort to do something for him.

    Daniel and Johanna ordered.
    “So tell me more about your new job,” Daniel said, and poured her a glass of white wine.
    He’d brought up just the right topic. Johanna enthusiastically began to tell him about the interview with her new boss, the helplessness she’d felt when confronted with the random cooking ingredients, and how she had to work with a crazy biology student who was more interested in ludicrous ideas about saving the world than in cooking or the job at hand. Daniel loved the story and laughed as she told him about Jörg.
    Their waiter served their food a few minutes later. Johanna elegantly speared a piece of ginger-coconut chicken on her fork; Daniel opted for the salmon and mussel curry as he told her about his trip to Bangkok and sipped his wine. Daniel had traveled all over the world, and Johanna adored his storytelling. She’d never been with anybody who could get to the point so easily, so succinctly, and with such enthusiasm. How could she help falling hopelessly in love with him? How could she keep herself from dreaming of a future with him? How could she keep herself from melting at the