Page 16 of Just A Kiss
“Why are you shaking?” I ask Nate as he drives us down the Chicago Skyway on our way to dinner. His hands are literally gripping the steering wheel so hard his knuckles are white.
“I’m fine,” he lies, and his voice squeaks.
I pull down the visor and lick my cherry-colored lips. “There’s no reason to be worried. Not like I’m gonna take off my clothes and fuck you right at the table.”
He laughs nervously, and I wonder when he last got laid. “Speaking of … sex. How far are we gonna take this?”
I had called Hadley earlier today, and she informed me that Asher was just in her office asking questions about Nate and me. So she decided the four of us needed to go to dinner, knowing that Asher would invite himself as well. I still don’t know what she is trying to prove, but I’m going along with it.
I lick my lips and close the visor. “Just a few kisses here and there. Nothing major.”
He nods quickly, then changes lanes so fast the car next to us lays on their horn in warning, causing him to swerve back into our lane. I know the guy doesn’t drink, but I’m gonna order him a few at dinner just to relax him.
I lean back in my seat and look out the passenger window. I’m not sure what I’m doing. Why I’m coming up with this fake life in order to stay away from Asher.
You know why!my head screams.
Asher is one of those guys who makes my body heat rise and my stomach do flip flops. He’s a whole different ball game that I need to stay away from. But every time I remind myself of that, I also find myself going back to that night. My pussy instantly gets wet, and my mind races with thoughts of doing it again. I’ve never been that woman who falls head over heels for a man. That’s why I’m thirty and have never been married. Or even close to engaged, for that matter. I don’t fall for a man’s tricks. I was raised that you leave them before you’re left. I pounded that into my brain after I watched my mother cry on our living room floor when my father refused to come back to us. He made her look so weak, knowing she wouldn’t be able to survive without him, and I hate how right he was. She never was the same, and I refuse to follow in her steps. Even though she’s in a nursing home and suffers from Alzheimer’s, she talks about him. Who he once was. When they were in love. I hate it.
Nate pulls up to the restaurant, and a man walks up to my passenger door. Opening it up, he takes my hand and helps me out as a man gets into the driver’s seat to park it. I wait by the car for Nate to join me, and he reaches out to take my hand. He looks very nice for a fake fiancé in a white button-up, black jacket, and matching slacks. “You look very handsome,” I tell him. “I like your suit.”
“Thanks. Mother ironed it for me.”
I refrain from laughing. I remember Hadley telling me two years ago after their date how much of a momma’s boy he was. Guess nothing has changed.
“You look very beautiful,” he says quickly. “In case I haven’t already told you that.”
“You did.” Twice actually when I met him at The Horseshoe. I know this is Hadley’s friend, but I didn’t want him to know where I live, so I had him meet me at the bar. He never once questioned it.
We enter the glass double doors and approach the hostess. The place is not where I usually eat on a Friday night. It’s obviously very upscale. It is dimly lit and has white tablecloths over the round tables. A single red rose sits in a vase in the middle. “Reservations for Kyle,” I inform her.
She looks down at the iPad in front of her and then nods her head. “This way, please.”
We follow her to the back, and at the table tucked away in the right-hand corner, I see Hadley and Aiden. Asher must not be here yet, and a part of me is happy about that. I could use every second I can get to work my way up to seeing him here with a date. I’ve seen the kind of girls he dates, and they’re nothing short of stunning.
“There you are,” Hadley calls out excitedly and stands from the table. She comes over to me and gives me a hug.
“Nate.” Aiden greets him with a nod. He doesn’t look thrilled to see the guy, but Aiden never looks thrilled to see anyone but his wife. He’s been a dick for as long as I’ve known him. And being with my best friend hasn’t changed his attitude one bit. He’s just a dick to everyone else but her now.
“Hello again,” Nate says, pulling out a chair for me. I take it and thank him before he sits down next to me. I reach under the table and grab his hand. It’s clammy. Poor guy. He really should date a girl like me. I could teach him a few things.
The instant Asher enters the restaurant, I don’t even need to turn around to know. My body just feels his presence. The hairs on the back of my neck stand up, and my nipples go hard. I shift in my seat uncomfortably, wondering why I agreed to do this in the first place.
“Hello, everyone,” Asher says from behind me as he approaches the table.
I turn around, and my heart picks up the pace when I see his date. It’s the same woman from The Horseshoe. The one who gave me the twenty along with her name and number on it. The prostitute. But she looks different. Her brown hair is down and over one shoulder in big curls, and she’s wearing a black Gucci dress and matching heels. Her makeup is done to perfection with cat eyes and red lipstick. She smiles brightly when her eyes meet mine. The other night, she looked like she belonged in a pay by the hour motel. Tonight, she looks like a million dollars. They could be the next couple on a magazine cover. My jaw tightens when she pulls him closer to her side.
Asher Kyle has brought a prostitute to dinner. As his date! And I don’t like it. All I can think about is how much he’s paying her. Or is she doing it for free?
* * *
I pullmy date’s seat out, and once she sits down, I take the chair beside her right across from Andrea. Her eyes are on my date, and I know the moment she realizes just who she is. Andrea has a horrible poker face. I saw Candy the other night at The Horseshoe. She’s a high-priced call girl here in Chicago who can charge from a hundred dollars a night to ten thousand a night. She doesn’t discriminate. If you have money and are willing to let it go, she’ll take it. I’ve defended her before. And won, of course. Aiden takes one look at her and can’t hold back his small chuckle. He knows exactly what I’m doing, and by the look on Andi’s face, it’s working.
“So how is everyone doing?” Hadley asks, clapping awkwardly to get our attention.
“Great.” I’m the only one who answers. Aiden takes a drink of his scotch. Andrea’s date is looking a little pale, and Andrea is glaring at me. I smile at her.
“Excuse me,” she states, standing from her chair. Her date tries to stand as well as a courtesy but can’t get up fast enough. She’s gone before he even scoots his chair back.