Smiling to hide my grimace, I nod. I’m not a fan of lying, but I don’t think she would appreciate me telling her she makes my dick rock hard when we’re on a “friends only” date.
Hoping to smooth the deep groove between her brows, I disclose, “My name is Nick.”
She eyes me curiously for several long seconds before shrugging.
“What?” I’m confused by her response. I thought she’d smile upon discovering my name, not shrug it off.
Her lips curl into a smirk. “It’s nothing. I just pictured you as more of a Jacques, Pierre, or Christian.” When I gag at her hideous choice of names, her smirk transforms into her knockout smile. “They’re names more suitable for players; Nick just seems too. . .nice.” Her voice gains an edge of wittiness at the end of her sentence.
“Clearly, you’ve never met atrueplayer.” I give her a cocky wink. “You won’t call them anything but Nick once I’m done with you.”
She laughs. “I know more about players than you’re giving me credit for,Nick.” She says my name with a chuckle.
I’m about to demand names and numbers, but our waitress returns to our table with my food, saving me from making a fool out of myself for the third time in twenty-four hours. Thank fuck. I’m a lover not a fighter. I also don’t hunt down past dates of girls I hardly know.
But, I guess, I’ve never been on a real date either. . .
* * *
Over the next thirty minutes, Jenni and I sit in complete silence. It isn’t awkward. It’s more interesting than anything. She watches me consume my burger while occasionally stealing fries from my plate.
The silence gives me time to learn her little traits. Like how she always double dips her fries in ketchup before popping them into her mouth. How she chews slowly as if she’s relishing every bite. That she blinks just before she swallows, and that her pupils dilate every time she busts me staring at her.
I like her last trait the most.
Once I’ve paid our bill, we leave the cafe via the door we entered only an hour ago.
“Thanks for the coffee.” Jenni paces toward her car. “It was. . .nice.”
Grinning, I follow after her as my brain works hard to come up with a way I can convince her to stay a little longer. The hour we’ve spent together wasn’t nearly long enough. I didn’t get the chance to charm her with my intelligence, much less woo her out of her panties with my wit.
“Did you want to go for a walk on the beach?” I fight not to roll my eyes at my corniness. I don’t do romance and flowers, but using the world’s worst pickup line is supposedly ay-oh-fucking-kay.
There’s only one thing I’ve ever done at that beach. It wasn’t walking on it.
When Jenni spins around to face me, I switch the expression on my face to a more gentlemanly one. She sees straight through my act. “Thanks, but I really should get going.” She purses her lips. “I’m not in the mood for sand in my pants.”
Even knowing she's teasing me doesn’t stop my dick from hardening. “Maybe next time.” My tone is confident there will be a next time because I’m not taking no for an answer.
I need to rethink my plans when Jenni replies, “Maybe?” After hopping into her car, her eyes lift to mine. “Bye.”
Her smug grin enlarges with every inch she reverses away from me. She thinks she won. I’ve yet to reach the same conclusion. After seeing how much she blushes and the fact she doesn’t fall for my tricks, I’m one hundred percent confident I need to see inside her panties.
I just need to up my game first—because I think this player just met his match.
* * *
Tina chuckles when I enter the Dungeon. “That was quick.”
“If given the chance, I’ll be more than happy to show youexactlyhow long I last,” I reply, strolling toward Isaac’s office.
Tina’s laughter dies down when I close the office door. Sensing my presence, Isaac’s dark gray eyes lift from the barrage of paperwork he’s perusing. He drinks in my attire, his brows stitching when his eyes land on the jacket I only pull out for special occasions.
“You went on an actual date?” His voice is as high as his brow.
“Yep!” I chuckle. “And I even ate real food.” I’m not a dating type of guy. . . unless certain parts of the female anatomy are on the menu.
I slump into a black leather chair opposite Isaac’s large wooden desk before connecting my eyes with his. “Whatcha looking at?”
