Because my plan was that it would be real.
It didn’t seem like her feelings were exactly the same.
But that could change. Would change. I would work my ass off to make sure of that. Why not take a crack at it and see if this turned into something amazing and long-lasting?
The waitress came over to us, beaming, handing me my phone. “Congratulations, Dr. Kincaid.”
“Thank you very much. Can we get a bottle of Cristal, please? To celebrate.”
“Of course.”
The minute she was out of reach Felicia said under her breath, a smile plastered on her face, “I could fucking kill you now. Like literally strangle you with my bare hands.”
That sounded promising. “You don’t like the ring, do you? We can get a different one.”
“That’s hardly the issue.” She was smiling in a way that should have terrified me.
Instead it turned me on.
“You don’t like surprises?” I asked.
“It depends on the circumstances. I like surprise orgasms, not surprise proposals.”
“Is there really any other way to propose?” I asked, settling back into my chair. “What fun would it be if the woman knew it was about to happen? Why even bother?”
She made a sound of exasperation.
“I could surprise you with an orgasm, too,” I murmured. “Would that take the sting off?”
I put my hand on her knee under the table and massaged it.
Felicia bit her lip like she was trying not to smile. She shook her head slowly. “Naughty bastard.”
“I warned you.”
“You did. I should have taken more note.”
The waitress reappeared with a bottle and popped the cork. Felicia jumped and gave a burble of laughter, as sparkly as the champagne. The initial shock seemed to have worn off.
I hadn’t told anyone my plan. Not even my brother. He would think I was insane and maybe I was. But I figured it was the ultimate in speed dating. After forty days Felicia and I would either be in love and ready for a commitment. Or we wouldn’t. But we wouldn’t need more time than that to figure it out because it was immersion dating and we were going to learn a whole hell of a lot about each other.
“Were you serious about the brownstone?” she asked. “You can’t dangle real estate in front of me and then not follow through.”
“I was absolutely serious. If we get to the altar, you can pick out whatever you want. I’ll keep my mouth shut about finishes and layouts and paint colors. I only reserve the right to say no if I think it’s financially not a good investment.”
She sipped her champagne and eyed me. “I suppose I can’t argue with that. Though what are the odds it will come to that?”
It was reasonable to be skeptical.
But I felt completely confident we could make this work. “Start searching on Zillow, baby.”
Felicia laughed. “God, you’re insufferable.”
“It’s one of my charms.”
“Sadly, I agree.” She leaned back in her chair, crossing her leg to the side, showing me the whole length of that sexy leather boot. “Now can we please order some food? I’m starving. My modeling days of surviving on caffeine and nicotine are over.”
“You were thinner then? My God, you must have been invisible.” She was already thin. I couldn’t imagine her on a restricted diet.