Matt touched his glass to hers.
“Well, at least we have our priorities right. First the kiss, and then the champagne.”
“And now what?” Susan asked.
“We wait for dinner to be delivered,” he said. “And meanwhile, we try to start to find some kind of a solution to our dilemma.”
“And how do we do that?”
“You start by trusting me,” he said, looking into her eyes. “You really don’t have any choice, but I want you to really understand that.”
She averted her eyes by lowering them.
“Are you constantly in that state?” she blurted.
“I just kissed you,” he said. “And it happened.” He snapped his fingers. “Just like that. Ah-ten-hut! And then, feeling noble as hell, I resisted the enormous urge to pick you up and carry you back to bed.”
“That wouldn’t be smart, would it?” Susan asked, raising her eyes from his erection to his eyes.
“Not right now, but you could easily talk me out of that position.”
“Maybe that’s all it is,” she said. “Unbridled lust. On both sides.”
“Maybe,” he said very seriously. “I think there’s more, but if that’s all there is, that’s enough.”
“I don’t really know what you mean by trust you,” she said.
“Well, that means I’m going to ask you questions, and you’re going to answer them. The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. You’re not going to hold anything back. You’ve just changed sides, Susan. Chenowith and his friends are now the bad guys.”
“I’m not sure I can do that,” she said very softly.
“You don’t have any choice, honey. What I’m trying to do is find some way to keep you from going down the toilet with them.”
“What did you call me?”
“What?”
“You called me ‘honey.’ ”
“I guess I did,” Matt said. “Does that bother you?”
“No,” she said after a just-perceptible hesitation. “No, Matt, it doesn’t.”
“I would be amenable to reciprocation,” he said. “Does ‘precious beloved’ come easily to your lips?”
“No,” she said, smiling. “ ‘Precious beloved’? My God!”
“There are many other possibilities,” he said. “Think it over. Whatever makes you happy.”
“All I can think of is ‘honey,’ ” she said. “And that’s awkward.”
“Give it a shot.”
“Honey,” she said.
“Sounds great to me,” he said. “Let’s go with that for a while, until you think of something better.”
She sensed that he was about to kiss her again, and turned her back to him.