“Because someone’s expecting me.”
“Cancel on him.”
“He’s already there, Lukas. I’m not going to be rude.”
He dragged a hand along his jaw and groaned. “Fine. Where are you going?”
“Muse Room. Lower East Side.”
He laughed despite a quizzical frown. “Seriously?”
“Yes. Why?”
“Have you ever been there?”
“No, he picked the spot. He’s been arranging the date with my friend – it’s a long story,” I explained hastily off his perplexed look. “Why? What’s wrong with the place?”
Lukas shook his head. “Nothing. It’s great. It’s just not what I expected for you. They have beds instead of couches and the waitresses walk around in full-blown lingerie.”
I was surprised to hear that but I tried to bluff. “Okay. So? You think I’m some virginal thing that’s going to implode in any sexually charged environment? Just to let you know, I have had sex before. In fact, I’ve had a lot of it. Was it all with one guy? Yes. Does it still count? Yes. Was it any good?” I paused for several moments as I thought about my own question.
“Are you drunk?”
I blinked. “No.” I wobbled. “I’m just… in heels.”
“Trust me, I noticed,” he muttered, eyeing me up and down again before groaning. “Jesus Christ. You’re killing me, Lia.”
“What? Why?”
“Because I don’t want you to fuck this guy,” he said. “Plain and simple. Aside from being pissed that it’s not me, I don’t want to be the reason you got yourself hammered so you could force enough attraction to sleep with some guy you just met. I haven’t known you long but I know that’s not you.”
“Just a reminder, you and I have known each other for less than a week, so cool it.”
“You’ve known Tess almost three years and you’ve heard her talking about her brother so let’s not act like I’m just some stranger off the street,” Lukas said, annoyed. Palming the back of his head, he exhaled. “Lia, I’m begging you,” he murmured, a handsome frown pinching his brows. “Stay in tonight,” he said gently. “I’ll keep my suit on, you’ll keep your dress on – it can still be a date but we can just order pizza or Chinese, and no one has to sleep with anyone. Alright? How’s that sound?”
Amazing. Adorable. Fucking everything I want. But I still resisted. Rather, I put off giving my answer because the one at the tip of my tongue was “okay” and I wanted to at least pretend I had a lick of self-control before giving in. But just as I started to answer, the ring of his phone interrupted. When he glanced down with an instant groan, I let myself peek at his call.
No. You have got to be kidding me. I fumed as I read the name “Useless Gold Digger Bitch” off his glowing screen. Oh. My. God. Un-fucking-believable
A part of me wanted to bend over and dramatically retch for Lukas, just to show him how phenomenally disgusting I found him at this very moment. Another part wanted to lay into him for thinking he could actually trick me into thinking he wasn’t the worst, but instead I swallowed my temptation and simply thanked the universe for reminding me that despite his occasional sweetness, Lukas Hendricks was in fact an asshole. Of the highest degree.
“Really nice thing to call a girl.” I shot a look of revulsion. “I’m gonna go ahead and pass on your takeout offer but I hope you have a great night,” I added tersely, shaking my head as I pushed past his broad frame and slid out the front door.
7
LIA
Okay, so the bar did kind of look like a sordid sex dungeon with its black lace walls and reddish glow. Pretty aggressive for a first date. I knew that was the point but it was still nerve-wracking. But thankfully, within thirty minutes of sitting with Hayden the Dog Hater, I found that he was mild enough to put me at ease.
“Don’t be afraid to tell me if you don’t like your drink, Lia,” he offered, nodding at my untouched glass. “I’d be more than happy to get you a new one.”
“Oh, don’t worry, I like it,” I assured him with a smile. “I’m just taking it slow.”
“Oh,” he nodded politely. “Well, I’m glad you like it. And it’s always good to take it slow,” he smiled back.
Agh.
I mean he was… nice. He hadn’t said a word about me being fifteen minutes late and to my relief he’d picked one of the booths instead of one of the overly sexy, bed-like seats. So he had that going for him and he was handsome. His smile was a dazzling white and he looked great in a tan sweater, brown jeans and camel loafers. Sure, he was weirdly monochromatic and dressed in a way that reminded me of handsome human cardboard, but it worked on him.