I walked into Josh’s apartment, the smell of his cooking invading my senses. He was one of the finest chefs in Dallas and was constantly in his kitchen honing his craft. I rounded the counter to watch him work and saw him smile though he didn’t turn his head in my direction as he kept himself busy with his task.
“Baby, if I look at you, I’ll have you naked and burn dinner. Just do us both a favor and pour some wine.”
I smiled and shook my head. “Not a chance of getting me naked anytime soon. You gave me dirty dick disease,” I said in a huff, uncorking a bottle of red we had shared a few nights previous. He quirked an eyebrow as he looked at me and I gave him the stink eye as I poured us each a glass before taking a sip of mine.
“Okay, my curiosity is piqued,” he said, chuckling as he took a glass from me walking quickly back to the stove.
“A bladder infection, so your penis and I are now at odds,” I stated, taking a long sip of wine in celebration that I still had my freedom.
“Sorry, babe,” he said, eyeing me as he circled his pot with a spoon, carefully folding cheese into his sauce.
“I’ll let you make it up to me with chocolate mousse,” I said in a bratty tone, taking in more wine with a moan.
“Already chilling in the fridge,” he said, smiling at me. I watched him cook a late meal for the two of us and admired his gorgeous body and the way he glided across the kitchen with expert skill. I should want to move in with him. Josh had been nothing but good to me in our time together. We laughed a lot, had good sex. We were exactly what a budding couple should be. I slumped in my chair, thinking of the wind that had come and knocked the breath out of me today making Josh seem like…less.
“I’m having dinner with an old college friend tomorrow,” I said plainly.
“Damn, it’s my mother’s birthday and I was just about to ask you if you wanted to join us for dinner,” he said, pulling some fresh pasta dripping with sauce out of the pot with his thumb and pointer then bringing it toward me to taste. I opened wide as he curled the noodle into my mouth and I moaned at the taste. He leaned in, finishing the taste test with a long slow kiss on my lips.
“It’s so good,” I said, smiling a thank you.
“Yes, it is,” he said, not referring to the pasta. I shook my head with a smile as he continued to cook another amazing meal for the two of us.
Josh.
Dean turned up the next night precisely at eight and was chatting with a nurse on my service as I sauntered up in my sexiest dress.
“Still up to the same tricks I see, old dog?” I poked.
He laughed at my comment then stopped smiling as he took in my appearance. His eyes quickly diverted to the black dress and super high stiletto heels I had purchased that morning before my shift. I was hoping he couldn’t see the tiny cushions under my eyes. Other than a rough day and little sleep, I was all too happy to see him. He gave me a thorough once over and waved goodbye to the attentive blonde who was now pouting that I had all of his attention. I gave her a wink that seemed to anger her and fully revealed a toothy grin as we walked away. His appearance screamed sex. And his sex…well, I still hadn’t met his match. I shivered a little as I recalled the year we had spent tangled in each other.
He guided me with a hand on the small of my back toward his Jaguar and I took notice that he was typically impeccably dressed in a three-piece. He had always been well dressed. While I found it odd at first, it did little to keep me away. To me it was way more alluring than the jean wearing, sandal sporting guys I was used to dating. I felt a pang of guilt as I thought of Josh at home, thinking that I was probably with an old girlfriend.
He’s engaged and you are committed to Josh. This is dinner. Oh and Dean’s a lying bastard.
He opened the car door for me. “Let’s go somewhere quiet where we can talk.”
“Sounds good,” I replied, completely uncomfortable in my own skin with thoughts of Josh and the guilt I felt.
I shouldn’t have worn this dress.
“You look beautiful, Dallas,” Dean said, making himself comfortable to drive.
“Thanks, so do you. Where is your fiancée tonight?” I asked in an attempt to feel a little better about being out with another man.
“Not here,” he answered quickly. He started the car and turned to me, a smile playing on his lips. “I dug this out of thin air and thought you might like it.”
I heard the music start to play and laughed out loud. It was Dean Martin’s greatest hits. I had given it to him as a birthday present in college. He forced me to listen to it every time we were together.
“Ain’t that a kick in the head,” I sang along as he pulled up to Chantilly and I laughed at his choice of restaurants. We were definitely going old school tonight. It was the location of the first date of my parents and was a Dallas landmark, having been open for over forty-five years. We walked inside and I quickly surveyed to see if my parents table was available. I requested it on sight immediately and reveled in the fact that it was ours. My parents had taken Rose and me here a few times when we were kids when they were unable to find a sitter on special anniversaries. We were usually grounded by the time we left and they would swear never to take us again.
“My parents had their first date right here at this table,” I remarked as we took our seats.
“Really?” he asked with a smile. “How are they?” The hostess seating us completely covered Dean in her stare. It was so blatant that I almost felt uncomfortable for him. He simply gave her a wink as he turned his attention to me.
“Terrific. We should have dinner with them soon. They always loved you. You can bring your fiancée,” I added, reminding myself that this was a dinner date between old friends. But we weren’t friends. We hadn’t spoken in years. Our relationship ended in heartbreak. Morbid curiosity is what made me decide to dine with Dean tonight.
I saw him visibly cringe at the mention of his fiancée then recover. “Sounds good to me. How is Rose?”