“I expected more,” Nathalie said in a firm voice, as she pedalled harder to get the boat back to the dock.
“I’ll be honest with you,” she continued, “I expected more from a date; a Swan pedal boat is just so lame.”
“Why do you say that?” Josh asked, holding back his disappointment. “This was fun, wasn’t it?”
“Well, for one thing, there was no sense of risk,” Nathalie responded. “At least if we took out the tandem kayak, there’d be a risk of capsizing… even drowning. No one ever drowned pedalling a Swan.”
“Or you could have chosen the canoe,” she continued. “A real Canadian is supposed to be able to make love in a canoe without capsizing it, or so the urban legend goes… but on a Swan boat? I’d never be caught dead, trying that.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about Nathalie,” said Josh defensively, “besides, this is a pretty public space here. We’d be arrested if we tried to make love on a boat. It’s OK for you, you’re new in Montreal, but for me, it’d be a disaster getting caught doing that.”
“Are we on the same planet?” Nathalie asked. “My sister Julie said you had an adventurous streak in you, but I can’t seem to find it.”
“You want adventure and risk? OK, I’ll show you. We’ll explore the steamier side of Montreal. First, we’ll go to Café Cleopatra, grab some beer and watch the burlesque dancers and strippers. If we’re lucky, there’ll be a bachelor’s stag party there, getting hammered. It’s fascinating to watch how everyone makes fun of the groom. That’s a real Montreal institution, and we can easily spend a few of hours there.”
“Ok, that’s more like it,” Nathalie responded.
“After that warms us up, we’ll do something even a little more riské. We’ll walk over to Club 281. This is where the hen parties hang out. It’s hilarious seeing brides and bridesmaids going gaga over the cowboys, lumberjacks, and especially the firemen with their long hoses.”
“OOOH,” Nathalie cooed in anticipation.
“Then, just before midnight,” Josh purred in a sexy voice, “I’ll take you back to my place.”
“I’ll send the babysitter home in a taxi,” he continued, “and we can practice all those dance moves we just saw.”
“Now your talking,” Nathalie enthused, “This ‘ll be the best date night we’ve had in a long time, honey.”