323 Tender Way

"Neither am I. But then I saw you and all the fucks flew out the window."

She smiled nervously at that, but I could tell she was apprehensive.

"I don’t do those friends with benefits relationships," she said, pulling her arm away from me. “They get too messy. I’m concentrating on school right now.”

"Who said anything about being friends?"

"I'm not a straight benefits type either," she said, her forehead crinkling into a scowl. She crossed her arms across her chest.

A laugh escaped my mouth as I looked at the expression of consternation on her face.

"All I’m asking for is a chance to get to know you over a delicious meal. No strings attached. No benefits, no favors, just great food and conversation. If that sounds unappealing, let me get out of your way."

"Well, I suppose the least I could do is buy you dinner after everything you did for me today."

"You are not paying for dinner. Are you crazy?"

"It's 2021. A girl can pay for dinner."

"I'm all for girl power, fine. Shit, I know you can buy me a dinner and that’s all well and fine. But I’m a man asking you to dinner and if I ask you to accompany me somewhere, I sure as hell am gonna pay for it. Someday maybe the tables will turn and I can handle that, but today I want to treat you, you had one hell of a day. Is that okay with you?”

She crosses and uncrosses her arms, making me realize how large her chest is. My dick pulses in my jeans without my permission. Madison has a smoking figure and seems completely oblivious to how attractive she is.

"Listen," I said, stepping closer to her. “You want to ask me out after tonight, you do it. But I want to be upfront and tell you that my Momma, who you know and love, taught me to be a gentleman. I open doors, walk on the outside, carry heavy objects, and yes, pay for dinner too. She taught me to be a gentleman and it is my pleasure to treat women with the utmost respect. I’m old fashioned and I like being that way. If that’s not something you can deal with, then tell me to get the hell out and I’ll never bother you again.”

I didn’t want to pressure her so much or put her on the spot, but it just ended up happening. I think we were both exhausted from the insane day at the no coffee-coffee shop.

Her face lit up as she smiled. "I guess you’re right. A little chivalry is a nice thing to be around. I’m always on the defensive these days, dating has gotten weird and I guess I reached a point where I’d rather avoid it. But we made a great team today and dinner sounds fun."

"Now that it's settled, how about we finish up here and then head up to Virgin Street?"

"I literally die for their mushroom burgers. I'm in. You've got yourself a date."

Chapter 3

Madison

"I love this place!" I said as soon as we walked into Virgin Street Diner.

The joint was a recreated fifties-style diners with retro design and a mini jukebox at every table. I wasn't sure if those old things still worked, but I loved the look of them and flipping through the old fashioned song options. Besides having a super fun ambiance, it was also home to the best burger and fries this side of the Mississippi. Their malts were yummy too. Guess I’d brought my appetite on this date.

"Why, Duke Miller, have I died and gone to heaven?" a curvy blond with giant breasts said as she walked up to us. Her face beamed a huge smile for Duke until she looked at me and then the smile disappeared instantly. Nice to meet you too, lady.

This was probably why I was reluctant to come. Not because I didn’t like Duke or didn’t trust him, but it made me uneasy how he seemed to know everybody and all the women reacted too much when they saw him.

Duke nodded politely at her. "Hey, Sally, Table for two, please."

"It's nice to see you, Duke. You haven't come in for a while," she purred. She zoomed in closer to him completely ignoring the fact that I was standing there, almost getting crushed between them. It made me feel small and insignificant, her big blonde hair and breasts, his tattoos and pecs, almost like they spoke another language I’d never heard of. But Duke was curt, he wasn’t interested in small talk.

"Yeah, I've been so busy." Duke glanced down at me before he grabbed my hand and pulled me closer. He threw one of his huge arms over my shoulders and it made me feel like his kid sister.

"I can see that," she replied, eyeing me up and down. She grumpily walked us to a table and tossed two menus down.