Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 100523 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 503(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100523 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 503(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
I knock fists with him. “Yes, bro.”
He lifts his glass. “I’ll drink to you then.”
I say goodbye then head to an it place that Maddox helped me pick. He wasn’t stoked that I canceled on Seductive, but he’s a good agent who goes to bat for me, so he handled it and set up another charity golf game with Naveen and Amar. I’ve promised him I won’t cancel that one. I’ve already set the reminder. Well, five reminders.
I drive down to the Marina to a Mediterranean restaurant that’s getting all the raves. Rachel had a quick appointment with a supplier after her flight, so she’s meeting me here any second now.
After I park, I grab a gift bag I brought along, and I fly inside, excitement pushing me on. When I pull open the door, she’s already at the bar. My heart stutters and I give a low whistle of appreciation as I reach her. “Hey, Sunshine.”
“Hi…friend.” She sounds nervous.
Like me.
But excited.
Also like me.
She wears a dark red dress that hugs her curves and shows off some skin. It’s the right kind of short and the perfect kind of tight. She’s wearing a couple necklaces. One with stars. One with hearts. She looks bright, upbeat, happy.
She rises to give me a peck on the cheek. I turn my face and capture her lips. She sighs happily against me.
As the hostess guides us to our table, I set a hand on Rachel’s back so everyone knows she’s mine.
Once we’re alone, I say, “I missed you.”
It feels good to say that. It’s such a relief and a joy to talk to her like this at last.
“I’ve missed you too,” she says, dipping her face, a little shy. It’s too cute. Too sexy.
After we check out the menu and order, I ask about her day, and she tells me about her flight and the meetings she had about marketing Fable’s eggplant necklaces. I smile, knowing those came from our un-date at the farmers’ market.
“Oh, that reminds me,” I say with a groan.
“What’s wrong?”
“Just that I have to record this date. Can I tell you how happy I’ll be when this recording is over? I can’t wait to date you camera-free.”
“Same here, but I don’t regret a thing about our un-dates.”
Reaching across the table, I run a thumb along her jaw. “I don’t either.”
I do the responsible thing and shoot a few minutes of how to take the woman you love out to dinner. How to romance her. How to make her feel like she’s the only one.
Finally, I turn off the camera and hand her the gift bag. “So, I got you this mug. I was going to give it to you Monday night at the date I canceled. I had this whole thing planned where I’d ask you to keep seeing me with this mug.”
She opens the bag, and takes out the custom-ordered cup that says The Doctor Is In. “I was going to say I thought you could keep it at my house to use whenever,” I tell her, and while that would have been a nice way to ask her to be mine, flying to Los Angeles to ask her out was worlds better.
She holds it close to her chest. “Ah. It’s the commemorative every-night-is-a-sleepover mug.”
I crack up. This woman. She just fucking gets me, and she always has. She nibbles on the corner of her lips before she says, “I got something for you too.”
She reaches into her purse and takes out a red plastic spatula, tied with a bow.
And I laugh even harder as I take the gift and mime spanking her. “This is absolutely my lucky spatula. And I see it’s a two-fer,” I say, fingering the silky ribbon. “I can tie you up and spank you.”
“Yes. Yes, you can. I was going to give it to you on Monday night and see if you wanted to keep doing this.”
I guess our timing wasn’t so off, after all. “I’m going to use it on you every single night,” I say in a husky tone, lowering my voice. “Because you are my dirty girl.”
She shrugs coquettishly. “You bet I am.”
We eat and laugh and talk and touch, and when I’ve paid the bill, she meets my gaze and says contentedly, “I think I like restaurants now.”
“No. You just like me,” I say.
“That’s true.”
When we leave, I can’t wait to finally get her alone. I’m frisky as we’re heading up the stairs of her place, my hand sliding down her back, over her ass. As she unlocks the door, I kiss her neck, a rumble working its way up my chest.
When the door slams shut, we’re off to the races, touching and kissing, unzipping and stumbling to the couch. I pull up her dress to her waist and yank off her blue lace panties. She undoes my jeans and straddles me. We had the talk at dinner. We’ve both been tested. So for the first time, she sinks onto me.