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“Shorter if you make a habit of getting into cars with strangers.”
“You’re only sort of a stranger. Technically, this is our second date.”
“You call this a date?”
“I haven’t decided yet.”
The waitress refills his water, while giving Ali the side eye.
“A friend of yours?” Ali asked, brow raised, after the woman waddled off.
“That’s Barbie.”
“So her nametag said. And you’re what? Your bio said—hold on, don’t tell me—a dentist? No, an attorney. That’s right.” Ali shifts in the booth, sitting straight up. She leans in close. “What kind of law?”
He sticks close to the truth. “I represent insurance companies, mostly. Devils that they are.”
“Ah.” She studies him curiously. This diner is not where she expected him to take her.Heis not what she expected.
“And you?”
Ali smiles, fingering the rim of her glass. She’s heard all the usual first date questions. She’s used to this.Where do you see yourself in five years? Do you believe in love? Do you want children? How do you feel about marriage?
She’ll answer honestly. Just nottoohonestly. Ali doesn’t believe in love. But she won’t tell him that. For Ali, love is nothing more than a projection people place on one another, a projection of themselves and how they feel at any given moment. As for marriage, she sees it as a set of expectations, nothing more than a contractual agreement held in place by good intentions and a court of law. The intention she understands. It’s the expectations she dislikes. So many expectations, some personal, most societal, or familial, many of them unconscious. She finds it all very nauseating. And as for children, that’s a hard no. But she won’t say any of that. What’s the point? Chances are she’s never going to see this guy again after tonight. “You know what I do.”
“ButIhaven’t read your books.”
“Pity.”
“Do you enjoy it?”
Her eyes narrow. She wants to ask what he means.Does she like sex and loose strings?Yes. Very much. For Ali, those two things go hand in hand. They’re about as honest as you can get. It’s a shame sex has to come with a slew of expectations, expectations that are easily finagled and very hard to untangle. “I do very well in my professional life.”
“That wasn’t what I asked.”
Ali smiles at his bluntness. You can learn a lot about people by simply observing them. Especially while they’re on their best behavior, which let’s face it, in the beginning of any relationship, everyone is. But this one, he’s testing her. And she likes it. “You want to know if I find pleasure in my job?”
“Well, do you?”
“Sometimes.”
“For example—”
“You aren’t very good at dating. This feels like a job interview.”
“Does it?”
“How about we get outta here?”
“You haven’t even tried their pie. It’s to die for.”
Ali swallows hard. She’s never wanted to take a man and drag him out of a place before. But she supposes there’s a first time for everything. She doesn’t care about pie or food. All she can think about is ripping off his white button-down and finding out what’s underneath. “We can have dessert at your place.”
“My place?”
“Is that a problem?”
It’s her way of asking if he has a wife or a girlfriend. Even a situationship could mess her night up. She likes to know up front. Women can fake orgasms, but men can fake entire relationships.
