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As I’m watching this unfold and wondering if I should join the vultures, an increasingly familiar voice sounds right next to me. “Things can get a bit rough in here, although I don’t think anyone’s ever had to use a safe word.”
I chuckle and turn to face Dean, struggling to keep a straight face because, honestly, these people are nuts. “I mean, how good could it be? Seriously, fighting over bread?” He’s standing close, not touching but definitely in my personal space, and I blink a few times, as I adjust to his nearness.
“It’s pretty good, but you have to ask for the best stuff. Come with me.” He starts toward the register and takes my hand, tugging me along for a moment, then lets go. The brief contact of holding hands goes straight to my lower muscles. A delightful jolt. If he weren’t so attractive, my job would be a whole lot easier. The plain white tee and dark blue denim jeans fit just enough to show off a body obviously well taken care of and would be unremarkable on most men, but on him, its simplicity is the contrast to his good looks. I’m not blind and still a woman.
But I should know better, so I make sure to leave a foot between us when I join him at the counter.
A very attractive older woman with black curls and a flour-covered red apron grins and comes over to us.
“Buongiorno Dean. Strecci? Meat or vegetarian today?” She flits her eyes in my direction and throws me a wink. Oh, I get it. Dean likes to come here because he gets fawned over by the pretty waitresses and has a nice meal.
Dean looks over at me. “Trust me?”
“With my life, no. With lunch, yes.”
The waitress lets out a sharp laugh. “I like her. I’ll bring one of each. You two take a seat.” She motions to the chairs and tables behind us. We find a table at the back, the furthest away from the noise, and I pull out my notepad.
“You want to start now before lunch comes?”
”Sure.” He leans back in the chair and sighs. So it wasn’t a success. But how bad was it exactly?
“Look, the restaurant was nice. The meal was nice. Tanya was nice.” He shrugs and starts to rearrange the cutlery and napkins on the table. “She works as cabin crew for a major airline, so I can see why you thought we’d make a decent match. We certainly spent a lot of time talking about aircraft. But it was like talking to a client.” Oh no, he saw her as an extension of one of his work clients. Rats, they seemed too good on paper with lots in common.
“I got the sense that Tanya felt the same… there was just no chemistry. And to be honest, I don’t know how comfortable I’d be dating one of my client’s employees. Probably not a great look.” He runs a hand through his hair, obviously a little frustrated, and I try hard not to stare at his biceps as they bunch. He doesn’t skip arm-day, that’s for sure.
“Okay, well, that’s not too bad, and remember, any practice is good, flex the muscle and all that.”Stop thinking about his muscles! I make a couple of notes to keep myself busy and not thinking about other muscles I might like to ogle. I discreetly look at him across the table. All I could think about was how unfairly handsome he looked in his suit. He nodded, drawing my attention to the angle of his jaw, smooth and begging for my fingers to run across it. Although I didn’t know him well, in this setting, compared to the men around him he seemed so very masculine. More masculine than any past boyfriend of mine too, if I let my mind stray there.
The tip of his tongue dragged over his bottom lip, and I gave myself a mental slap before I entered into a fully blown fantasy of that tongue of his licking certain body parts of mine.
Wow I really need to get laid. My failed manhunt had left me more horny and needy than ever. Damn.
“I can’t say I didn’t get anything out of the night. Tanya gave me some real insight into the work that cabin crews carry out, and it’s actually given me a few ideas about feedback I can give to one of my clients, so it was a win, really. Just not the way you planned.”
“Well, you can’t go into dates treating them as business development, Dean.”
“I know, it’s just how that one worked out. We did have a pleasant evening, the conversation very easy. She’ll be the perfect woman of some other lucky guy.” He shrugs.
“And where did you go?”
“Commercial Bar. She wanted to meet me in the middle of the city.” I nod, knowing the place. It’s a bar where business gets discussed, full of suits and uncomfortable seats. It’s slick, all glass and metal, but not a great place for a first date.
“Okay, well, we can probably do better on your next date, somewhere that’s a more low-key, more relaxed, gives you things to talk about that aren’t work-related and might give you a better idea of compatibility. I mean, this is a great place for a date.” He looks around and gives me a little smile, pleased that I approve of the place he suggested for lunch.
“It’s a great place, isn’t it? Here comes lunch.”
I clear away my notepad just as a server appears with a tray of small plates.
“Prosciutto, mozzarella, and roasted beets and herbed goat cheese and arugula.” Two plates of the best-looking sandwiches I’ve ever seen are placed before us. Two smaller plates follow. “Bombollini for dessert. Maria’s treat.”
The two round Italian doughnuts are set on the table, and saliva pools in my mouth. I might never leave. We split the sandwiches and dig in. Best lunch ever, hands down. I can say without a shadow of a doubt that these are some of the best food I’ve ever put in my mouth. Keeping my eyes off Dean’s forearms as he devours his food and licks his lips, though, was tantamount to torture.
I push away my empty plate and eye off the desserts.
“You want some private time with those?” Dean smirks, and I feel a blush rising. Between his arm muscles and the delicious meal, I might need fresh panties.
“Yes, you can leave now. I’ll email you about your next date and some venue suggestions.”
He laughs and scoops up a doughnut. “Not a chance.”
