I dressed in a pair of jeans and a plain, dark t-shirt before spraying on some cologne and slicking back my wet hair. Then I double checked that my bulge was adequately deflated and headed back to the living room. Bianca was looking out the window.
“Can I get you something to drink?” I asked.
“Are you having something?”
“I was going to open a bottle of wine. Do you like red?”
“I do.”
It took me twice as long to open the damn bottle since my kitchen counter faced the living room where Bianca was staring off. I couldn’t stop looking at her. She was gorgeous—a man would have to be blind to not see that. But it was more than that. I felt a pull to her that was there the first time I’d met her, even before the lights turned on in that dark elevator. We were connected in some way; I was sure of it. I just needed to show her it was more than physical.
“Here you go.” I handed her a glass.
“Thank you.” She turned back to the window.
“You look pretty deep in thought there.”
She sipped her wine. “I suppose I am.”
“Well, I’m de-bulged and all ears.”
Bianca glanced down and sighed. “Such a shame to have wasted it.”
Trying my hardest to be on my best behavior, I bit my tongue. “Why don’t we go sit, so we can talk?”
After we sat, I waited for her to speak first. The key to getting Bianca to forgive me was going to be patience, so I figured I’d start practicing with the easy things. She traced the rim of her glass a few times with her finger and then said, “My date was a nice guy.”
I closed my eyes briefly and then opened them. “I suppose if you’re dating someone other than me, I’d like them to at least be a nice guy, for your sake.”
“Thank you.”
I couldn’t help myself. “To clarify, just because he might be a nice guy doesn’t mean I wouldn’t like to beat the crap out of him right now.”
She shook her head, but smiled. “You don’t have to worry. I’m not going to go out with him again.”
I sipped my wine, watching her over the brim of my glass. “I might have just lost some of my urge to beat him senseless.”
We were sitting on the couch next to each other, and Bianca twisted her body so that she was facing me straight on. “I wanted to like him. I wanted to have the tingles as he spoke during dinner, and I wanted to want to go home with him after we ate, to have mind blowing sex.”
I know I probably deserved for her to feel that way after the shit I’d pulled, but hearing her say that really hurt. “Well that makes one of us.”
“I don’t want to want to be with you.”
“Yes, I’m getting that loud and clear.”
She set her glass down on the coffee table and then looked me in the eyes. “But as much as I don’t want to feel a certain way, I do. I’ve tried to force myself to stop thinking about you, and I’ve tried to distract myself with another man. Yet here I am at the end of my date tonight.”
I set my drink down next to hers. “Listen to me, Bianca. I fucked up. I know I did. I’ve apologized, and I’ll keep apologizing over and over again. But you can’t deny that there is something going on here that is worth taking another chance on.” I caressed her cheek. “Take a chance on me, Georgy Girl. Take a chance.”
I finally admitted to myself that I was more afraid not to take a chance than I was of getting hurt again. Sometimes the reward is worth the risk.
I looked into Dex’s eyes. “You’ll always be honest with me?”
“I swear on it.”
I bit my bottom lip. The truth was, I couldn’t imagine never seeing this man again. He was right. Something was there between us. Something I’d never experienced before. Our connection was so strong; it was impossible to move on. “Okay.”
Dex’s face lit up, like I’d just flicked the lights on Christmas morning and he’d found a room full of presents. It was really adorable. “Okay? As in you’re giving me another chance?”
I needed to be serious, but couldn’t help but smile at how happy he seemed. “Yes. But…we need to slow down. I want to start over.”
“I can do that.”
“Starting over means dating. Getting to know each other. I want to know the real Dexter Truitt.”
He inched closer to me on the couch. “I’m an open book.”
“Good. We should probably start with a date.”
“I’d like that.” He inched closer again so that our knees were now touching. I was wearing a skirt and when his hand went to my bare knee, I felt it all over. His thumb gently rubbed at my skin.
Goosebumps were prickling from his touch, yet I managed to say, “I don’t have sex on the first date.”
He leaned in. “What do you do on the first date?”
My mind may have wanted to slow things down, but my body had other ideas when he began to wind my long hair around his hand. “Not much.”
He spoke over my lips. “How about kiss. Do you kiss on the first date?”
There was nothing more than I wanted than to kiss him again. Well, maybe there were other things I wanted even more, but that was definitely going to have to wait, too. I abruptly stood.
“I need to go.”
Dex stood. “Because you don’t trust yourself to stay here in my apartment with me?”
“I don’t and you know it. You know I’m attracted to you physically, and I can see that you’re going to make it very difficult for me if I stay. So I’m going to remove myself from this situation. Because we’re going to take it slow.”
He didn’t hide his disappointment. “When will I see you again?”
“Friday night. You can take me out on a proper date as Dexter Truitt. I think a public place is safest for now.”
Dex’s grin was wolfish. “If you think being in public with me will keep me from mauling you, then I suppose you need this date to get to know me better.”
I rolled my eyes, even though I secretly loved him admitting he couldn’t control himself around me, either. “Goodnight, Dex.”
“Goodnight, Georgy Girl.”
I had the worst first-date jitters I’d ever had—which may have had something to do with the fact that it wasn’t really our first date. I’d just discarded the third dress I’d tried on and was now sitting on my bed in only a bra and panties taking a minute to relax. Eyes shut, I took a few cleansing breaths and started to focus on the sound of my meditation balls humming as I massaged them in the palm of my hand. I rolled my neck a few times, loosening up my posture, and just when I began to find my calm, the doorbell buzzed.
Shit. I grabbed for my phone and was shocked to realize that it was already ten minutes to seven. I must have wasted almost an hour trying on clothes and attempting to meditate, when I’d thought it was more like fifteen minutes.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
Covering myself with a bathrobe, I went to the door and pressed the button for the intercom.
“Dex?”
“The one and only.”
I buzzed him up. There wasn’t time for me to get dressed, but I quickly ran to the bathroom mirror to fix myself. Even though I’d done my hair earlier, changing in and out of dresses had made a mess of it.
When I was done, I unlocked the door and waited. Dex stepped off the elevator, and I watched as he walked down the long hall to my apartment door. God, he was really handsome. He wore a dark sportsjacket with dark slacks and a gray dress shirt, sans tie. But it was the way he strutted toward my door full of swagger and confidence that made my pulse race. There was actually a little flutter in my stomach as he neared my door.
Dex took my face into one hand and gave me a chaste kiss. After, he spoke over my lips, “I thought you wanted to go slow?”
“I do.”
“Answering the door in that robe and looking at me like that isn’t exactly the way to go about doing slow.”
I shook my head, hoping to wake up my brain. “Sorry. I lost track of time.
Come in. I just need a few minutes.” I opened the door and went inside my apartment, but turning back, I found that Dex hadn’t followed me in. He was standing inside my open doorway.
“I think I should wait out here.”
“What? Don’t be ridiculous. Come inside.”
His eyes dropped down to point to my breasts. I was fully covered, but my silky robe wasn’t doing a damn thing to hide my pert nipples. They were poking through the lace of my bra and thin cover up, looking as anxious and excited as I felt. I folded my arms across my chest. “That’s your fault.”
“My fault?”
“Yes. If you weren’t all...” I waved my hand up and down. “…all dark and sexy looking, they wouldn’t be saluting you. And you kissed me. What do you expect?”
He grinned. “Dark and sexy looking?”
I rolled my eyes. “Just come in and sit down.”
“Okay. But I can’t guarantee I won’t be all sexy looking.”
I disappeared into my bedroom and left Dex sitting in the kitchen. After another rummage through my closet, I finally settled on a red dress that I loved. It was one of those colors that turned heads, and the only time I’d ever worn it was when I went out to a bar with my friends from work. I’d attracted more attention than I’d ever had that night. So much so, that I never wore it again. But tonight I was feeling greedy and wanted Dex to be unable to keep his eyes off of me the same way I seemed to be unable to keep mine off of him.
The look on Dex’s face told me I’d made the right decision when I walked into the kitchen. He was looking at some pictures of my nieces that I had hanging on the refrigerator and turned when he saw me.
“You look…” he trailed off. Then made a face. “Maybe you should change?”
I frowned. “You don’t like my dress?”
“I fucking love the dress.”
“I don’t understand.”
Dex walked to me. “You look beautiful. Red is definitely your color. But that dress…I’m going to get myself into trouble tonight, and I know it.”
Dex had taken me to one of the most exclusive spots on the Upper West Side. The Chapel restaurant was an old church converted into a high-end eatery. Featuring original stained glass windows, it was popular not only for the ambience but for its eclectic fusion cuisine. It took weeks, if not months, to get into this place.
Unfolding my cloth napkin, I said, “I’d ask how you managed a reservation, but I assume you can pretty much get whatever you want in this city.”
“Well, if that isn’t the most ironic statement of the year. I most certainly cannot get whatever I want. If that were true, I’d be underneath this table right now with my head between your legs.”
I clenched my muscles. “You’re such a horny bastard.”
He played with his watch. “I’ve never tried to hide that fact from you. And your face is turning redder than that gorgeous dress. You know you love the thought of my head buried beneath your skirt, my mouth getting you off. Admit it.”
I did.
“It’s a pleasurable thought, yes.”
“You’ve learned through the course of our talks that I’m damn good at what I do for a living, but what you haven’t yet realized is how damn good I am with my tongue. That’s not something I could have described in an interview, of course. It’s just something I’ll have to show you when the time is right.”
Dex had an unbelievable ability to appear so composed when he was talking dirty in public places. I would bet anyone watching him from afar could have easily assumed we were just talking business. I, on the other hand, was squirming in my seat.
He wiggled his brows. “By the way, I brought you something.”
“Oh?” I grinned.
He took it out of his inside pocket. It appeared to be another little wooden animal. Unlike the last one that he’d given me—that Jay had given me—this one was far from perfectly carved.
“I made this for you,” he said proudly.
“What is it?”
“It’s a goat. You can’t tell?”
“Oh, I see,” I lied. I couldn’t tell what it was. “This is all your handiwork?”
“Yes. I’ve been taking lessons from a master whittler. By the time he’s through with me, I plan to whittle you the world, baby.”
“That’s really not necessary. Why do you feel the need to continue that part of your façade?”
“It’s not about that…at all. I think I accidentally developed respect for an art I’d originally made a mockery of. And now, I truly enjoy trying my hand at it. I’m also in a very disturbing, one-sided competition with a ten-year-old YouTuber.” He cracked a smile. “Is that weird?”
“Yes.” I laughed. “But you’re a little eccentric and weird yourself… in a good way. So, it fits.” I looked down at the barely recognizable goat. “This is precious, though. I’ll cherish it even more than the first one, because it’s really yours.”
“Good.” He winked.
After we finished our meal, my attention turned to a couple who’d just arrived. They were sitting diagonally across from us. The woman was tall and gorgeous and much younger than the man. Her blonde hair was parted to the side and pulled back into a low bun. A thin strand of pearls lay atop her champagne-colored, satin, sleeveless top. A bright red Birkin bag that I knew must have cost in the tens of thousands sat on the ground next to her seat.
When the woman’s date got up from the table, her eyes locked with mine before she started to type something.
Dex’s phone suddenly vibrated, prompting him to look down and check it. He then turned around and looked straight at the blonde. She was now smiling directly at us.
What the hell?
“Fuck,” he whispered under his breath.
“That woman just texted you?”
He gritted his teeth. “That’s Caroline.”
Caroline.
My stomach sank. Suddenly, the woman who had seemed attractive seconds ago became ten times more gorgeous in my mind—more threatening. I realized the mouth that was curved up in a smile was the same one that had been habitually wrapped around his “beautiful cock.”
Riddled with jealousy, I asked, “What did she just text you?”
Dex knew he wouldn’t be able to get away with hiding it, so he simply handed me the phone.
Caroline: So, this is the reason you won’t fuck me anymore…
I gave it back to him.
Caroline noticed that he’d shown me the text and began typing again.
When his phone buzzed, I asked, “What does it say?”
He reluctantly turned the screen toward me.
Caroline: Make sure you tell her that you like anal play.
A rush of adrenaline hit me. “Oh, really?” I huffed. “Good to know.”
Dex looked like he was getting angry. “She’s fucking with you, Bianca, because she sees you checking my phone.”
When Caroline’s date returned to the table, the texting stopped, and her attention turned back toward the older man who was wining and dining her.
“I’m sorry,” Dex said.
“It’s fine. We can’t change anything that happened before we met.”
He could clearly see that I wasn’t really okay when he said, “Let’s get out of here.”
“No. Then she’ll know she upset me. I don’t want to give her that satisfaction.”
“Yeah, well, the alternative…staying….is making you miserable. I’m not going to accept that.” Dex placed a wad of cash on the table to cover our bill and signaled for me to follow him.
I forced my eyes away from Caroline as we passed her table and exited the restaurant.
We made our way into the Town Car, and Dex instructed Sam to just drive around for a while until we knew where we wanted to go next.
Dex took my hand in his. “I’m really sorry about that.”
“You don’t need to apologize again.”
“I’m glad we at least got to eat before she showed up.”
I stared out the window for a bit before I said, “I’ve never been a jealous person. I wish it didn’t upset me so much.” It was hard to admit how I felt, but seeing her—especially how beautiful she was—really did catch me off guard. In a weird way, it made me want him more because I suddenly felt insecure and possessive.
“I think it’s adorable that you’re jealous. And it’s also a bit of a relief, because it shows me that you care about me at a time when I really need that reassurance.”
“I’m the one feeling self-conscious right now. She was absolutely stunning.”
“She’s physically beautiful. But so are a lot of women. It takes more than a pretty face to get me to the point of obsession. That’s where I am with you, Bianca. Not only are you the only woman I care to be with physically right now, but I fell for your mind long before my dick became impossible to control.” He squeezed my hand. “And you want to talk about jealousy? Do you have any idea what a wreck I was every single second you were out on that date? But it’s good to be open about this kind of stuff. We should be honest about our feelings, especially when it helps us determine where we stand with each other.”
Speaking of honesty, something had been really gnawing away at me for some time now. It was the one secret I’d kept hidden from the get-go. I’d given him grief about his deception when I was hiding something of my own. It felt like the right time to confess what brought me to him in the first place.
My palms felt sweaty. “I have to tell you something.”
Seeming concerned by my tone, he loosened his grip on my hand. “Alright…”
Here goes.
“I’ve knocked you for your dishonesty. But I haven’t been completely truthful with you about something. There’s a piece of information I’ve been keeping from you since the day we met.”
“Tell me this doesn’t have to do with another man.”
“No.”
“Thank fuck.”
“Well…not in the way you might think.”
“What are you talking about?”
“There was a reason I volunteered to interview you. It wasn’t just for curiosity’s sake.”