The joint was hopping as usual.  Once he spotted Stella, however, his focus locked onto her, and only her.  There was no reason for his eyes to stray from the fire-haired siren.  Naturally, he was unaware of any looks directed his way.  Upon reaching her, Anton chuckled at her comment about cleaning up well.  “I do have my moments,” he assured her.  “Not many, but it does happen.”  His smile remained as they were led to their table.<br/><br/>When he made the reservations, he requested a booth, like he always did.  Compared to the tables nearby, a booth offered a modicum of privacy.  Anton’s attention was solely on his neighbor, and any conversations from somewhere else stood no chance of entering his awareness.<br/><br/>Besides, what realistic chance was there of his gaze being diverted away from Stella?  Quick answer: slim and none.  Her chosen attire made damn sure of that.  Seated across from her was tempting enough, what with her cleavage daring him to not steal glances.  Had they been sitting next to each other, her perfume would be a distraction all by itself, although that would come later during the play.  It was basically a pick-your-poison scenario.  Anton also liked how her pearl necklace went well with the black dress.  Her pearl-tipped hairpins also stood out amongst that sea of scarlet.<br/><br/>Like she had done earlier with him, now was as good a time as any to compliment her appearance.  “Y’know, Stella, if you were to dress like that for your symphony performances, the hall would be sold out every night,” he stated.  “Guaranteed.  It’s either that or all the women in the audience would leave their men at home.”  He grinned, rather pleased with himself, though he knew he was being honest with her.<br/><br/>Although what Stella ordered sounded absolutely delicious, Anton stuck with his tried-and-true steak, always cooked medium-well, of course.  Once, he had actually branched out and tried the pan-seared halibut.  Tonight, however, would be his beloved steak, particularly a 20-ounce Kona-crusted dry aged ribeye.  It was the restaurant’s acclaimed coffee-rubbed seasoning that went extremely well with the meat.  Sides would include a sizable baked potato with all the fixings and grilled asparagus.<br/><br/>For now, Anton refrained from helping himself to the bread, preferring to have some with his dinner.  He always enjoyed sopping up the meat’s juices with buttered bread, sometimes leaving a trail of melted butter behind.  He was happy to hear about her new gig, and laughed at her crack about the brats and YoYo Ma.  In that situation, the mothers sounded much worse than their children, in his opinion.  He’d have to pay a visit to that bar she played at.  Something told him she didn’t play much classical music, if any at all.  And since he was already aware of what she was capable of with those ivories, he figured it would be time well-spent.<br/><br/>Anton’s attention was diverted from her as he spied their waiter with a full tray propped on his right shoulder.  Nirvana would be delivered to their table very soon.  With his attention briefly elsewhere, he totally missed Stella’s recognition of his absent wedding band.<br/><br/>Moments later, Stella said with her fork extended toward him, “You’ve got to try this.”  Anton noticed her reaction, thinking it’d be quite difficult for a redhead to hide something like a blush.  Not wishing to leave her hanging, he steadied her hand with his, not giving her a chance to withdraw it, and graciously removed her offering with his mouth.  Chewing, his eyes widened as his taste buds performed numerous cartwheels and somersaults.  “Damn, Stella,” he said, “I see what you mean.  That is<i>very</i>yummy.”  While speaking to her, Anton was already slicing into his steak again, this time with Stella as its soon-to-be recipient.  “Since I know you like your steak cooked like I do, you gotta try this and tell me what you think of that coffee-rubbed seasoning.”  Just as she had done mere minutes before, he held out his fork to her, with the succulent piece of steak awaiting her consumption.