Mark laughed a little, shaking his head ruefully. Then, he bowed ironically. “I defer to your judgment,” he said. Then, he frowned. “But coral pink, man? Seriously?”
I shrugged, much to the dismay of the seamstress. “I mean, probably.”
“What about tan?” Mark asked.
“Boring,” I said, not even having to think about it.
“You don't know the women around here, though,” Mark said.
“And what, you do?” I asked, scoffing a little. It was a tease, but I could see from the expression on Mark's face that he didn't appreciate it.
“Rude, man,” he said.
“Sorry,” I said, only partly sincere. “But seriously, what do I need to know about the women here? Women are women no matter where you are, right?”
“Oh no,” Mark said, shaking his head. “Your New York women are impatient. The New York women who come down here book up their days with massages and beach appointments and they drink all day. It's just not anywhere near the same. Our women here, they're sweet. They're soft.” He paused. “I don't want to tell you this because you're Christian Wall, of course, but know that Gretchen isn’t going to fall into bed with you tonight. That just will not happen.”
I frowned over at him. “Yeah?” I asked.
“Yeah,” Mark said, sounding a bit more confident as he saw that I was listening to him. “You can take her to a nice place and everything, and girls like that, they respond well to money. You're going to have no problem impressing her and whatever. But don't expect that to automatically get her into your bed.”
“So, how do you get a sexy Hawaiian girl into your bed?” I asked, even though honestly, I didn't think I needed his advice on the matter.
Mark shrugged, though, looking glad that I'd asked for his opinion. “The thing to remember is that no matter how hot you think Gretchen is, she's just another woman at heart,” he said. “Sure, she's just like other women here, she's independent, and she'll want you to remember that. And she's probably got a stubborn streak. But at the end of the day, the thing to remember is that she isn't so different from other women.”
I laughed. “You sound cynical, Mark,” I observed.
He shrugged eloquently. “I am cynical,” he said, giving me a knowing look.
“The girl you like still isn't putting out for you?” I surmised. I could tell from his grimace that she wasn't. “Come on, get a suit,” I urged. “You can take her out someplace nice at some point, and I'm sure she'll be all over you after that. We all know women love a sharp-dressed man.”
Mark laughed. “I could never afford to take her someplace nice like that,” he said.
I snorted. “Are you asking for a raise?”
“Maybe,” Mark said cheekily, winking at me.
I rolled my eyes but made a mental note of it. It wasn't like I couldn't afford to give him a little extra money, and he was a good driver.
When I got to the restaurant that night, Gretchen was already there and seated. I grinned a little, remembering what Mark had said about her being independent and probably stubborn. I'd probably expect most girls to still be hovering by the door, waiting for me to show up. But not this one.
And I kind of liked that.
I slid into the seat across from her, grinning. “You're looking lovely this evening,” I told her, even though I'd only given her dress a cursory glance.
It was enough to get her blushing, though, and shyly ducking her head. “Thanks,” she said, her eyes lingering on my suit. “You look pretty handsome, yourself.”
I grinned. “Yeah, I figured I'd get a new suit for the occasion. Tailored just this afternoon. Cost a little bit of extra money to get the thing done on such short notice, but I figured you were probably worth it.”
Gretchen grimaced a little. “Honestly, I don't know what to say in response to that.”
I shrugged a little and flipped open the menu. “Have you ever been here before?” I asked. “My driver recommended it.”
“I usually go out to places that are a bit more relaxed than this,” Gretchen said, looking around. She gave a little nervous laugh. “Don't get me wrong, it's kind of thrilling to be here and all dressed up and everything, but this is just…wow.”
Good, she's impressed with it.
I wasn't sure why that mattered so much.