At least my cock’s still working. She gets a rise. Thank fuck. This boredom feels so deeply rooted, I honestly wasn’t even interested in sex with her up to this point.
I kind of am now… but that blonde hair is not what I was looking for. I don’t want to look at her face—I wanted to take her from behind, so she could be anybody. I don’t want to fuck her, specifically. I just wanted to fuck a girl who looked enough like the one from the bakery, so I could purge the attraction.
Someone not related to a man I don’t really want to piss off by fucking his sister.
Dammit, now I’m thinking of the cupcake girl again. She had a great smile. Sweet, like her cupcakes. Great eyes—chocolate brown, a little sparkle in them when I was talking to her. She liked me, I could tell.
I mean, it’s not unusual for women to like me, but they usually know who I am. She didn’t have a clue. If she would’ve, she wouldn’t like me.
Morelli’s little sister.
Shit, now I’m thinking about her again.
Those plump lips.
Goddamn it.
I’m smiling, and I realize Vivian thinks it’s for her. I’m being a prick. I need to bail on this date.
I grab my phone and look up Francesca’s bakery. I’m sure it’s closed by now, but I look up the hours anyway.
Normally I wouldn’t wanna show my face there, but since I just met Adrian there today, if I show up on Morelli’s radar on the security tape, Adrian would already know why I was there. He wouldn’t sound any alarms. I’m not up to no good; I was there to meet him.
I mean, not twice in the same day. But I’m bored enough to take the risk.
I could use a little excitement in my life right about now. I could just take her out—if she doesn’t seem down for a hook-up, well, I’ve done worse things with an evening than spend it with an attractive woman I’m not going to fuck.
In fact, I’ve just spent this night with a beautiful woman I’m not going to fuck, because now Vivian’s hand is on my cock, and my cock has stopped responding.
Casually brushing her hand away, I hold up my phone with an apologetic shake. “You know what, I apologize, but it turns out I’ve got work to do.”
“Oh,” she says, watching me, a look of surprise on her lovely features. “Um… do you want me to meet you after?”
I shake my head, extracting my wallet. They haven’t actually brought the bill yet, but this is the last place in the world I want to be, so I’ll just leave extra and someone’ll get a nice tip out of it.
The bakery closed two hours ago, so there’s no chance she’s still there, but I’m still gonna drive by on my way home, just in case.
—
I drive by the bakery. It’s closed, like I expected, but there’s still a light on inside. Still a car parked out back.
I debate parking by her car like a fucking stalker, but then I remember what Adrian said about her calling in suspicious lurkers. Last thing I need is Adrian to show up here now. I could not explain this if I tried.
So I don’t.
I just drive my psychotic ass around the surrounding streets until the light flicks off a half hour later. Until I see her walking toward the car behind the bakery.
Then I pull in.
Francesca whips around, pulling something out of her purse. Hopefully not a gun, though that would be a funny fucking story. “Oh, yeah, I had a couple drinks at dinner with this chick I didn’t want, thought it’d be a good idea to stalk Morelli’s little sister, and well, she shot me.”
It’s just a cell phone, though. She doesn’t make a call, but she’s on alert.
Until she sees me.
Then the phone lowers to her side. She slips it into her purse, reaching up to tuck her hair behind her ear. While she does look pleased to see me, she also… doesn’t?
Probably left her a little pissy earlier, toying with her the way I did. Probably wouldn’t have done that if I would’ve realized she’d still be on my mind a few hours later.
“Bakery’s closed,” she tells me, crossing her arms over her chest a bit defensively.
“Yeah, I saw that a few minutes ago when I drove by.”
Her eyebrows rise, like she didn’t expect me to say that. “If you drove by a few minutes ago, what are you doing here now?”
Offering my most charming grimace, I say, “I thought that might be you inside, so I circled around and came back.”
Honesty isn’t my first impulse in this situation, but what the hell.
“Is that right?” she asks, evenly. “Why?”
Sighing, I walk over to her car and lean against it. “Here’s the thing, Francesca. I think you need to go for a drink with me.”