Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 46344 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 232(@200wpm)___ 185(@250wpm)___ 154(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 46344 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 232(@200wpm)___ 185(@250wpm)___ 154(@300wpm)
In the three months that she’d been back, she’d made every single excuse not to go out. As she walked toward her car, she heard several of the girls whispering.
“Who do you think he is?”
“What’s he doing here?”
“I don’t care who he is. I’d totally fuck him right now, and he doesn’t even have to buy me dinner.”
“You’re such a slut.”
Curious as to who they were talking about, she spotted Dwayne leaning against his car. His arms were folded, and he looked ready for business.
She couldn’t help but smile, especially as she saw the smirk on his face. Should she go to him? Hold back? Wait?
Three months was a long time to wait, so without doubting herself, she made her way over toward him.
“You know, it’s kind of creepy for an older guy to be standing outside of a school, watching it.”
He smiled. “I wasn’t watching the school or the women coming out of it.”
“What were you doing?”
“Waiting for one to see that she was okay.”
Her heart pounded. Did this mean he cared?
They’d been together for one whole evening, and the next day he took her back to her parents.
“Couldn’t you have gotten in touch with her parents?”
“I don’t like talking to anyone but the person I’m interested in.”
“And are you interested?” she asked. Wait. Was this flirting? She didn’t know and felt so out of her depth with the whole conversation. Not that this could be deemed a conversation. Not really.
“How have you been?”
She took a deep breath. “Fine. I think.”
“Only fine?”
“It’s hard to explain.”
“Want to go and get some dinner and talk?”
“Yes.” She didn’t even hesitate. What was the point in doing that when she would love to spend some time with him? “I can follow you.”
“Sure.”
She wished he’d offered to take her in his car, but a girl couldn’t have everything.
Rushing back to her car, she didn’t look toward the other girls as she knew they’d be curious, and right now, she didn’t want to deal with any of that.
Climbing into her car, she pulled out of the parking lot and followed him. All the questions could wait until she got back to school Monday. Until then, this was her own time.
“Just be cool, Charity. Don’t make this weird or anything. Just be cool and act normal. That’s all you’ve got to do.”
She tapped her steering wheel, following him out toward a small Italian restaurant, which surprised her. She expected a diner or café, but she was happy with this. She parked her car. The Italian restaurant didn’t have valet parking, and that was fine with her.
Dwayne was already near her car as she got out.
“I take it you like Italian?”
“Who doesn’t?”
She saw the smile on his lips, and when he held out his hand, she took it. Whenever she was with him, she always felt safe, warm, together. He made her feel this way, and it had been three months since she’d felt anything close to safe.
Her parents tried, but they weren’t there when she was walking safely down the street, only in the next second to be taken. Her life had become so predictable that the men knew when to take her.
The last three months, she’d done everything different. No routine to her life, and that felt crazy to her. She never went to the same café twice in the same week, or even on the same day. She was always changing her life around so that no one could ever get the best of her again.
She had also started self-defense classes, and so far, they were not helping.
Dwayne got them a seat somewhere in the back that offered them a great deal of privacy.
“Did you call ahead to get a table?” she asked. The restaurant was busy, and she was surprised they’d gotten a table.
“There’s always one reserved for my uncles and me.”
“So you have a family.”
“I never said I didn’t.”
She licked her lips and glanced around the luxurious restaurant. Her parents were wealthy and often loved to flaunt it to their friends.
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m not angry. I have a family. Two uncles. They have families themselves.”
“You don’t.”
“No.”
“How old are you?” she asked.
“Thirty-four. Does that creep you out? To be out to dinner with a man old enough to be your father.”
She chuckled. “You’re not old enough to be my father. If that was the case you had me at sixteen. My dad is nearly fifty years old.”
“Math has never been my strong point.”
“No, I don’t find you creepy at all, Dwayne. I like you.” Her cheeks heated, and she quickly looked down at the table. It was hard enough to admit that she liked him in her head, let alone to his face.
Biting her lip, she grabbed the menu, but before she could withdraw her hand, Dwayne had a hold of her wrist.
For several seconds he simply held her, doing nothing else. It was like their world stood still and they were the only two there, waiting.