Fatal Attraction (Dark Desires 4)

I nod, glad to actually have some good news for once. It’s been ages since I’ve been able to say anything good about my love life. It’s ridiculous. “Yeah, I did. Someone incredibly sexy… and good in bed too.”

“You did not.” She really can’t believe me. “There’s no way that you did.”

“Oh, I sure did.” I wiggle my eyebrows playfully. “And he’s just messaged me and asked me out on a date.”

“No way! That’s like, almost unheard of. Who is the lucky guy? Have I met him before?”

“This isn’t the biggest of towns, you might well know him.” It isn’t the sort of place where everyone knows everyone else, I didn’t know Will before the weekend, but Michelle is much more social than I am. She seems to at least know the names and faces of everyone. “He works for the police.”

“He’s a cop?” Michelle looks impressed. “Now that is sexy.”

“Really? I didn’t know that police officers were your thing.”

“Honey, any man in uniform is my thing. So, who is he?”

“Will Yoker.” Even saying his name fills my chest with a warmth. “He works for the DEA.” I drag my eyes up to look at Michelle and immediately I’m struck by the expression of recognition. “You know him?”

She nods slowly. “Yes, I do. I don’t know him personally, but one of the girls I do Yoga with does. Actually, a couple of them do.” This information stings. It’s obvious that he isn’t the happy ever after guy, and that he has a string of sexual conquests, but that doesn’t mean I want to hear about them. “I’m sorry, girl, but he’s a player.”

“He asked me out on a date though. Don’t you think that means something?”

She shakes her head, giving me a sympathetic look. “Trust me, I’ve fallen for play boys before. I thought that they were into me and that I’d be the one to change them and I just ended up getting crushed.” She rests her hand on my shoulder. “I don’t want the same thing to happen to you.”

My blood runs ice cold, all of a sudden, all the good feeling that I’ve had evaporates. I don’t want to think of myself as the naïve idiot who’s delving into something head first, blatantly about to end up hurt, but that might well be what’s about to happen here. Maybe because it’s been so long, I’ve allowed myself to be blinded to the truth. There’s a very good chance that this isn’t what I so desperately want it to be…

So, why do I still want it? Why does my heart still yearn for the date?

“But at least you had some fun, right?” Michelle continues with a smile. “At least you got back up on the horse, so to speak. Perhaps now it’s time to really think about dating again, what do you think?” She checks her watch before I can answer. “Oh God, I have to go, but I’ll catch up with you tomorrow, okay?”

As she flies from the room in a flurry, I stare at my cell phone as if it’s the enemy. I need to give Will an answer, I can’t keep him hanging on any longer, but I don’t know what I want the answer to be. My heart desperately wants to say yes, it wants to believe that this might turn out to be everything that I hope and more, it wants to think that I can be the girl who gets it all, despite all the warnings. But my brain disagrees. It wants to run in the opposite direction where I’m safe and I won’t get destroyed along the way.

Head or heart? Heart or head?

Tentatively, I pick up my cell phone and I breathe in deep. Then I type out the answer that I so desperately hope will end up being the right one.

‘Sure thing, how d

oes Friday night sound? C x'

Chapter Eight – Will

I feel weird, that’s the only way to describe it. Sitting across a table in a nice Italian restaurant from Cici, both of us wearing nice clothing, on an actual date. Like a real life, honest to God date. It’s crazy, right? I didn’t think about how strange it’d be when I fired off that text, but now that it’s happening… well, I don’t know what to do with myself. I feel strange and awkward, like I don’t totally know how to move my body properly.

“This place is nice!” Cici declares with wide, excitable eyes. “I haven’t been here before. Have you?”

I shake my head and let out an uncomfortable laugh. “No, I haven’t, but it has really good reviews.”

“I’m not surprised!” Cici takes a giant swig of her wine. I wonder if she feels as odd as me.

I sigh loudly. I need to do something to make this okay again. At the wedding, we had a real laugh, and I just know that we can get it back again. It’s me, it isn’t Cici. She’s not the one acting weird.

“I’m sorry,” I finally announce, deciding just to be honest. “I know I’m being… well, you know. I just don’t go on dates so I feel really out of my comfort zone. If I’m being nuts, just tell me, okay?”

Cici cocks her head curiously, staring at me as if I’ve just said something completely alien to her. “You don’t go on dates much? I never would’ve been able to tell,” she finally says in a wry, teasing tone.

“Oh, very funny!” I roll my eyes and slump back in the chair. “Like you’re the queen of dating.”

“I am actually! I’m great at dating. This is my fourth date this week, in fact.”