“Yes, I got it as a gift from a Chicago fan the night I was awarded the franchise,” I nodded. “I was saving it for a special occasion.”
“And me moving in is one of those?” she asked as she turned and looked up at me. I glanced sideways and smiled before quickly turning toward the dining room.
“Are you hungry?” I asked, trying to find a way to move from standing to sitting so that I didn’t have to maintain such an awkward angle as I talked with her. I pulled out a chair for her and waited until she’d adjusted before I sat down. “I hope you like fish. I had the chef create a summer menu to celebrate.”
“Wow, it’s like we’re really doing something special,” she said as she surveyed the table. I’d asked that the table be set with the best china and silverware, and I’d ordered a simple arrangement of freesias in a crystal vase as the only decoration. Set against the backdrop of the lake, the table was an elegant contrast to the shifting shades of purple and grey as the sun sank behind us.
“I like to think I’m a good host,” I said as we were served the first course by a waiter who silently set bowls of ceviche on each of our plates and then disappeared into the kitchen.
“You certainly know how to hire a chef,” she said, smiling at me after tasting the ceviche. I couldn’t tell if she was being serious or not, but when she continued eating, I assumed she had meant it as a compliment.
“Is there anything else you need?” I asked after a long silence. “I mean, tonight. In your room?”
“Actually, yes,” she said as the server cleared our plates and replaced them with a crisp, green salad tossed with fresh berries. Payton’s attention turned to the salad, “Oh, now this looks delicious!”
She speared a forkful of lettuce and fruit, and then slipped it into her mouth and chewed. I looked out the window, trying to will myself not to imagine the things I’d like her to do to me with her lips and tongue. I took a deep breath and then dug into my own salad.
“So, you need something?” I asked.
“Mmm hmm,” she nodded as she chewed. The smile she wore made me a little nervous.
“And that would be?”
“Eventually you’ll know,” she grinned as she picked up a plump blueberry and popped it in her mouth.
“Well, it would be easier if you’d let me know in advance so I can send someone out to pick up whatever you need,” I said growing irritated with her coy attempt at mysteriousness.
“Mmm, don’t worry, Dax,” she said reaching over and resting her hand on mine. “You won’t need to send out for anything.”
“I did not agree to that part of the contract,” I said, pulling my arm away and sitting up straighter in my chair. The sex clause in the contract annoyed me. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to have sex with Payton (I most definitely did); it was that I didn’t like the fact that she’d treated it as part of the negotiation. It made me feel uncomfortable having her approach sex from such a straightforward, unemotional perspective.
“Oh, Dax, stop being so uptight,” she laughed as she finished her salad and waited for the server to clear our plates. She pulled the wine bottle out of the frosty bucket and asked, “More wine?”
I nodded and she refilled both of our glasses as the server set dinner plates in front of us. The scent of lemon and dill wafted up from the poached fish, making my mouth water. We ate in silence as I thought about how I wanted to reply to her dismissive remark. Halfway through my meal, I put my fork down and leaned back from the table.
“What?” Payton asked with her fork in mid-air.
“I don’t like the way you tal
k to me,” I said, feeling my way around the words before I said them. “I’m not a prude, but I don’t like being blackmailed into having sex with you.”
“Well excuse me for trying to find a practical solution to a real problem,” she shrugged as she continued eating.
“Jesus H. Christ!” I exploded pushing myself away from the table. “Stop the goddamn shrugging!”
“What the hell?”
“Nothing says ‘I don’t give a shit’ like a shrug,” I shouted. “It’s infuriating to have a conversation with you and then have you shrug it off like none of it matters!”
“Calm down, Connor,” she said setting her fork down and leaning back in her chair. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked up at me as she said, “You’re the one who started this whole thing. Not sure if you remember that.”
“I remember just fine,” I shot back before turning and looking out the window at the lake. I added, “I’m just not sure what the hell you think you’re doing.”
“I’m playing by your rules,” she said bluntly. “You don’t like it because you were expecting to be able to manipulate me into doing whatever it was that you wanted and then telling me to get lost, weren’t you?”
“No, I wasn’t,” I lied.
“Dax, look at me,” she said from across the room. Reluctantly, I turned to face her. Every muscle in my body tightened in defense, but she gave me a teasing smile as she said, “Are you always so tightly wound?”