A Single Date (Dating Just Got Serious) (6 page)

“Can you get it,
I’ll be right there?”

His boots made a
clumping sound as he headed for the entry. Now she wanted to treat him like a
butler. He opened the door to find two women almost as beautiful as Yani stand
there.

“You must be
Drew.” The shorter of the two stepped across the threshold with her hand outstretched.
Her hair was in a pixie cut that framed her face.

“I am. And you
are?”

“I’m Cat and this
is Phoebe. We’re Yani’s best friends. Hasn’t she mentioned us?”

“As a matter of
fact, she has.”

“Hey guys.” Yani
stood behind him, wearing a tiny pair of shorts. He got a good glimpse of her
ass as he made his way back in the kitchen. Yani and her friends followed him.

“So Drew, where
are you from?” Cat examined him like a lab specimen.

“I live in Philly,
but I was born and raised in Maryland.”

“Where did you go
to school?” Phoebe asked. Did she invite her friends over to ask the questions
for her?

“Okay, you two.
Drew is a busy man, he doesn’t have time for your question and answer session.”
Yani’s voice was tight.

“I graduated from
M.I.T. with a degree in engineering,” he responded to Phoebe, but he watched
Yani.

He expected her
face to fill with delight, but there was no change. Her expression remained
stiff as stone.

“Did Yani tell you
she needs a date for my wedding next weekend?” Phoebe cut a smile at Yani.

“Cat, did you
bring the contract? I know you guys are going to dinner so don’t let me hold
you up.”

“No, she didn’t.
Are you inviting me?” He couldn’t help but use the opportunity.

Yani put up both
of her hands. “Enough you two. I don’t need a date for the wedding. As one of
the maids-of-honor, I’ll be too busy to entertain a guest.”

“I’d love for you
to come, Drew, if you’re free. I’ll get the information to you,” said Phoebe.

Yani snatched the
contract from Cat’s hand and shooed them to the door. “Good-bye ladies enjoy
your dinner tonight.”

“He’s cuter than you
described,” he heard one of them whisper before Yani slammed the door and
marched back in the kitchen with the look of the Mad Hatter on her face.

“They were only
kidding. Just ignore everything they said,” she demanded.

“I just got a
valid invitation to a wedding and I might attend.” He chuckled. “I like your
friends.”

“You don’t know
them.”

“I’m a good judge
of character.”

Her right eye
narrowed to a squint and the left eye nearly closed. “I’m not hungry, so I’m
passing on dinner tonight.” She exhaled with exasperation and stalked out.

The sharp sound of the
closing door rattled his composure. But if she thought he would let her brush
him off so easy, then it was time to teach her a lesson.

By the time the house
quieted from all the banging, it was seven o’clock. She hadn’t come out since
she’d stormed down the hall and slammed the door. No matter how many times he
traipsed to that end of the house to check on the bathroom progress she didn’t
open the door. Princess was as stubborn as a cat near water. But she was
dealing with a professional this time. Difficult clients were as plentiful as
thorns on a rose. He could handle this.

He lifted his cell
phone from his pocket and placed a dinner order from his favorite take-out
joint. By the time the meal was delivered, he’d cleaned the layer of sawdust
covering the table and set it with the paper plates and cups that’d come with
dinner.

Before knocking on her
closed office door he listened for activity. Nothing. Either she was asleep or
stewing over their earlier conversation. He shook his head. Yani had crawled
under his rough exterior, found his vulnerable heart, and now she was turning
him to mush.

He knocked on the door
with his ear pressed against it. “I know you’re in there so don’t ignore me.”

“I’m very busy. Can we
talk in the morning?”

“No, I want to talk
now.”

She snatched the door
open and threw her hands on her hips. He had to choke back the laughter
threatening to erupt in his throat.

“Okay. What’s so
important?” she responded, her eyes softened when she dropped them to the teddy
bear.

He grabbed her hand and
tugged her toward the kitchen.

“Drew, I really don’t
have time for whatever…” She pulled away from him.

“Make the time,” he
reached for her hand again and leading her down the hall.

Her reluctant steps
were silent as she trailed behind him. In the kitchen, she studied the table
and then him. She opened her mouth. Without speaking, her lips closed just
enough to form a perfect circle.

“Let’s eat.” He pulled
out the chair for her.

“I said I wasn’t having
dinner with you tonight.” She huffed, but all the anger in her face had
dissolved. Her eyes softened and instead of the fiery stare from earlier, now
there was a sparkle.

“Why do you keep doing
stuff like this?” She sounded like she was pleading with him.

“What? I’m hungry and
there’s no use in going home to eat alone. Plus, you haven’t eaten since you
arrived, so this is my solution.”

“Where did all this
food come from?” She circled the table and stopped next to him. Standing close
to her was enough to warm him all over.

“I didn’t know what you
wanted and you were being too much of a bad-ass to disturb, so I got a little
of everything. There’s honey-glazed chicken, garlic and thyme sautéed beef,
steamed broccoli, string beans with blue cheese, and for dessert, cheesecake
and brownies.” He pointed to each dish. “I think I’ve covered all the bases.”

 She sniffed. “It
smells wonderful. You shouldn’t have done all this.”

“Oh yes, I should. I
figured if you ate something you wouldn’t be so grouchy.”

“I’m not grouchy.”

He pulled out the chair
for her. She took the seat, revealing her smooth thighs as he pushed her closer
to the table.

He bent low to whisper
in her ear. The view of her breasts caused his desire to wake up and demand attention.
“Baby, you were in a mood and it wasn’t a good one.”

Her eyes grew large and
her body was still. “Don’t call me baby.”

“Why not? Do you prefer
I call you honey, or sweetie, or darling? I’ll call you anything you want.”

“My father calls me
that just before he gives me another tidbit of advice that I’m supposed to
follow.”

“Got it.” He
turned to the counter and picked up the plastic martini glasses. “I made
cocktails.” He placed the martinis on the table.

She didn’t hesitate
before picking up her fork and placing food on her plate.

“You could have gotten
something to eat on your way home,” she said.

“Yes, but the company
wouldn’t have been as good.” He held up his glass. She gave him a long stare
before picking up and tapping hers to his.

“What are we toasting?”

He slid his chair
closer to her. “I’ve been told that wise men say that if you’re lucky you can
find happiness in a single date.”

She shoved a piece of
chicken in her mouth while nodding. After chewing and swallowing, she asked.
“Is this a date?”

“It could be.”

She nodded again. “What
about the night we screwed all over my house?”

“I don’t screw,
princess. I have sex with women I care about, and since I was feeling something
for you I was making love to you.”

She pointed her fork at
him. “You care for me? You hardly know me.”

“I know more than you
can imagine.” He speared some string beans and bit them in half. “What about
those people who say they fell in love at first sight? Don’t you believe them?”

She put her fork down
and her face turned serious. “Yeah, I believe it can happen.”

Her voice was barely
audible. In the harsh glare of the kitchen work lights she still managed to
look gorgeous. Her face was scrubbed clean and her hair hung loose just below
her shoulders. He had to have her. There was no way he could shove his feelings
for her back in the bottle now. The universe had placed the woman he wanted
right in the middle of his project and in the center of his life.

He cleared his plate
before pushing away from the table. She sipped the last of her drink and set
the glass next to her empty plate. He reached for her hand. She hesitated for a
moment as he pulled her into his lap. Before she could resist he planted his
tongue deep in her mouth, tasting the mellow flavor of the olive juice from the
martini. With his fingers intertwined around her waist he savored every inch of
her that touched him. Her soft thighs against his legs, the thin indentation of
her waist, the texture of her tongue as she played with his. If she could love
him half as much as he loved her, they could live happy forever.

Just as he made his
wish she circled her arms around his neck and held him tight. She wiggled on
his lap for better position or to arouse him more. Either way it worked. He
held her up and stripped off her little top, revealing the gentle slope of her
shoulders and the dewy softness of her breasts. He eased his hand inside her
shorts and stroked her core before pushing her shorts and panties down her long
legs. He caressed her thighs as he drew his hands back up her legs, savoring
each slow minute as he reveled in her beautiful body.

While he removed his
clothes, she rubbed her hands over his back. Her movements were just as slow as
his, unlocking his emotions. He couldn’t tell her how he felt until she was
ready to hear it. Tonight, she wasn’t ready.

He sat back down and
pulled her on top of him.

“Condom?”

“Yes, of course.” He
used his foot to bring his pants closer and then pulled the sheath from his
wallet. She slipped it on him and climbed back into place.

He eased into her and
into paradise.

Yani sat in the
front of the restaurant, near the window so she could spot her friends the
moment they walked in. She picked up the fork and pressed the tines against the
table. The effort of tamping down her anger from last night left her with very
little fight. Cat and Phoebe had been her friends since they stood up to the
bullies together in fourth grade. But if the two of them thought they could
change her mind about Drew, she needed to straighten them out now.

Their little
intervention in front of Drew had led to wonderful, unforgettable sex, but she
and Drew needed more than good sex to anchor a relationship. He’d grow tired of
her soon enough if they tried to grab anything more than a few nights of fun.

It was easier to
spot Phoebe because of her tall statuesque frame. Cat was so short Yani didn’t
see her follow behind Phoebe. Yani waved her friends over as they entered the
restaurant.

“Okay, which one
of you is the wise guy?” She glared at each of them.

“What are you
talking about? Are you angry about something?” From the false tone in Phoebe’s
voice, she could tell the two of them had come up with their little scheme
together.

Yani dropped the
fork on the table and exhaled. The connection Phoebe and Cat had with their
parents resembled nothing she’d grown up with. Phoebe’s father was easy going
and supportive. Cat’s dad was quiet and left all the decisions up to his wife.
But Brooklyn Maxwell was hands-on. His gripped reached so deep, he’d probably
still be giving commands from the grave.

“Why are you
doing this? If no one else understands my dilemma, I thought I could count on
you two. Don’t you remember what it was like for me when I started dating? My
father almost chased one guy out of the house for kissing me in the front hall.
I know I’m grown and should just ignore my parents, but it’s not easy for me. They
were very strict, and raised us to follow what they dictated.”

“Oh, come on,
Yani. What can they do to you now?” Phoebe nudged Cat. “Cat, help me out here.
You thought inviting him to the wedding was a good idea, too.”

“I know, but I
didn’t think she’d be this upset.” Cat dropped her eyes to her lap.

“My parents just
want the best for me. They always have. I’ve heard them say a million times how
important marrying the right man is. If I pick the wrong guy, I could end up
divorced, a single mother, or a battered wife. There are a whole host of bad
things that can happen to me if I screw this up.”

“Oh, you want a
guarantee?” Phoebe folded her arms over her chest and sat back, as if she were
scolding a child.

“Isn’t the right
man, the one you love?” Cat stepped in to take on the next round.

“Love doesn’t last
thirty and forty years, Cat. It takes more than passion to hold two people
together for a lifetime.”

Phoebe and Cat
exchanged a glance like two detectives getting nowhere with their
interrogation.

“Yes, it does. It’s
the only thing that holds couples together. Look I know Robby doesn’t love me
yet, but after the lonely nights and missed holidays while he’s doing his
residency rotation, we’ll see where this relationship goes. It can’t end as
badly as my last one, now, can it? Either way, I’m seeing it through and giving
it a chance. I trust him.”

“Cat’s right.”
Phoebe sounded indignant. “Love is the only thing that lasts. The way I feel
about Cory I have no worries that he’s the one. Even when I’m upset with him, I
still want to be with him. And I wouldn’t let some crazy belief keep him out of
my life. Love can’t be ignored.”

“Are you falling
in love with Drew?” Cat eyes registered the sympathy her voice didn’t.

“No,” Yani lied. “I
don’t know. I’ve only known him a few weeks.”

“Love doesn’t tell
time. You can fall in love in a day, in an instant. But I have to respect your
choices. Maybe we shouldn’t have intervened, but we thought we were helping you
out.” Cat sat back with resignation, too.