Five Completely Inappropriate Questions: Christine Emerson

Christine Emerson of Shut Up and Kiss Me is kicking off our “Five Completely Inappropriate Questions.”

Christine is a marine biologist who gets her kicks deep sea diving, capturing images of marine life in their natural habitat. Oh, and she’s also hopelessly, completely in love with her childhood friend, Hunter Rhodes.

I meet Christine at a local coffee shop, the kind that put a lot of money into looking rustic and uses the word of the hour way too often “artisanal”. But they do have good matcha tea so I suppose I’ll save my snark later.

Chris (as she told me she preferred to be called) is fifteen minutes late. I hear her before I see her, as she rushes through the cafe’s glass doors, apologizing a mile away for being late. But I get the feeling that Chris is perennially late, because as flustered as she looks with her wind blown hair and cheeks red from the cold air outside, the twinkle in her eyes have no hint of apology.

She orders an espresso, and she takes it in one full gulp. There is nothing graceful about this woman but she has charm–tons of it. I think it’s her open smile, bright and wide, and her eyes that hold yours as she speaks.

I promise her only five questions and she waves me with her hand as she washes the bitter taste of the coffee with iced water. That’s another thing I notice, she talks with her hands. So I get back to business, worried that I may only hold her interest for so long.

Q: Did you ever kiss a girl? If you did, did you like it?

CE: You know that’s actually two questions, right?
She smirks at me but not in a mean way. I think she’s teasing me so I smile back.

Q: Are you trying to deflect the question?
I raised my eyebrow and she laughs in response. It has a husky tone to it, sexy and carefree at the same time. Hmm, now I may understand what her appeal is.

CE: Not at all. Yes and yes.
For good measure, she points into the air as if punching an imaginary checklist. Why do I have the feeling Christine Emerson has a lot of checklists that she’s checked off?

Q: Care to elaborate?

CE: Nope. I don’t kiss and tell. 
Again, that smile. As if its a private joke, even though it’s just us. A lot of things are probably private jokes between Ms. Emerson and her wildly interesting life. I want to delve more but I doubt she’d let me pass the five questions.

Q: Swallow or spit?

CE: Depends on the guy. 
She shrugs. I want to ask more but her shrug coupled with the way she moves away ever so slightly tells me “the guy” or “the guys” are not up for discussion. For the first time since she sat down, her hands stayed on her lap.

Q: Do you put out on the first date?

CE: No.
She shakes her head. I’m not sure I believe her. She has a devil-may-care attitude, I don’t doubt she leaps before she thinks.

Q: Top or bottom?

CE: Top. I like to take control. 
That I believe. After all she is a successful marine biologist. I can imagine, there’s a great deal of control, and discipline needed for that kind of job. It makes me wonder though, if she doesn’t find being in control all the time exhausting.

Q: Battery operated or manual?

CE: Both.
She doesn’t ask me to elaborate on my question. Instead she giggles a little bit, showing me a glimpse of someone still young. And for all her bravado, I see the tinge of pink creep up her face, making the freckles on her face stand out even more. It suits her.