Total pages in book: 27
Estimated words: 25991 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 130(@200wpm)___ 104(@250wpm)___ 87(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25991 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 130(@200wpm)___ 104(@250wpm)___ 87(@300wpm)
Oh wow, my date is even more beautiful in real life than in her profile photo. It’s not always the case, since a lot of girls go crazy with Photoshop and filters to make themselves look more appealing. But City Girls vets their girls, and if anything, Sarah doesn’t do her photo justice. She’s got curly chestnut hair, a sweet smile, and a curvy body that’s poured into her cocktail dress. Even from a distance, I can already tell that tonight is going to be a good night.
The beautiful brunette looks around the bar, probably searching for me, and I can tell she’s a little puzzled why I haven’t shown yet. After all, I’m paying for the date, so time is money. Yet, I stay out of view for a few moments longer so I can enjoy the woman’s beauty from afar. The deep maroon cocktail dress she’s wearing hugs her curves perfectly, and it’s elegant without being trashy, showing off just the right amount of cleavage. Then there are the heels, which are very high and black. I can’t wait to see her standing up in those because her bust is going to be pushed out as those wide hips sway. I might even have her keep them on later, while I take her from behind just for the effect.
But Sarah’s obviously still looking for me, and it’s rude to keep her waiting, so I walk up and take the seat beside her.
“Oh, that’s …” she begins to say, but then her eyes meet mine and her pupils dilate. “Braden?” she asks.
I nod.
“Hi sweetheart. Yes, I’m Braden, and you must be Sarah. How are you?”
She smiles, a bit shy.
“Good. Sorry, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I mean, there wasn’t a picture of you or anything.”
Sarah seems a little nervous, but it’s fine.
“Let’s have a drink, shall we?” I suggest.
Sarah nods and smiles tentatively. “That would be great.”
I call over the bartender and order for us. Sarah looks like the type to enjoy something light and sweet, so I pick a champagne for her, while I request a bourbon on the rocks for myself. Hopefully the bubbly loosens up my date, because I don’t want her to be nervous or uncomfortable all night, not when I have so much planned for us.
While we wait for our orders, I decide to lighten the mood.
“As mentioned, I’m Braden McLean. I work in real estate here in the city. Have you heard of True North Brokers? That’s my company.”
Sarah’s eyes widen. “Oh, wow, I have! You guys are huge, right?”
I chuckle.
“Yeah, I have brokers all over the city working for me, but actually, I only founded it a few years back. Why, are you looking to buy or sell an apartment?”
She shakes her head with a rueful smile, brown curls bobbling.
“No, I don’t own an apartment. Unfortunately, buying in the city is way out of my league at this time.”
I nod. “Well, everyone starts somewhere. But I don’t want this to be all about me. What do you do, honey? I mean, besides this?”
She takes a deep breath and meets my eye. “Well, I work at a small health food store part-time, but I’m also in school right now.”
I nod and sip my bourbon.
“Yeah? What are you studying?”
Sarah smiles and her entire face lights up. “Psychology.”
I nod. “That’s a great major. You’re going to learn to read minds, right?”
She giggles a bit. “No, I don’t think so, but yes, it’ll give me insight into why people think certain things, or why they want certain things. Human beings are really complicated, and I’m not even sure many people know themselves that well.”
I nod.
“That’s why it’s an amazing concentration. Mind-reading, I say.”
She giggles again. “Oh you!” But then Sarah turns serious. “I don’t know, people sometimes get weird when I say I’m studying psychology, like they’re afraid I’m analyzing them as we speak. But I swear, I’m not.”
I laugh. “No, it’s fine. It’s natural. But do you want to do research or be a therapist?”
She smiles radiantly again, and I feel as if I’ve been bathed in sunshine. “I want to be a therapist. All my life, I’ve loved helping people, and so I decided this was a good way to continue that. For a while I wanted to be a doctor or surgeon, but then I realized I can’t stomach the sight of blood, so that was out.”
“That would make it difficult, wouldn’t it?”
Sarah giggles. “Yeah. Therapists rarely see blood, so I think it’ll be good for me. I still have a ways to go before I get my degree, though.”
I nod. “You’ll get there though. It’s just a slog. Where do you go to school?”
She smiles again. “Manhattan Community College. Have you heard of it?”
I grin. “Yeah, of course. Everyone’s heard of MCC. So you’re here in the city?”