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“Yes.”
“This is going to seem really odd, and you are probably going to laugh in my face.”
She laughed, “I already am, go on.”
“Well,” I set my spoon down, “it is more of a challenge than a proposition.”
“A challenge? I like challenges.” She gave me a lopsided grin.
“I hope you do.” I looked into her eyes for a moment and silently prayed that she would take me up on it. “I want to challenge you to go four weeks without picking up any guys and taking them home.”
Her eyes grew wide, and she stared at me for about ten seconds, “You want me to do what?”
“I want you to stop picking up random men and start thinking about yourself.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” She dropped her spoon on the table with a clatter, “And where the hell do you get off judging me?”
“Hey, Ember, I’m not judging you.”
“Really,” she leaned over the table, “because that sure as hell isn’t what that just sounded like.”
She went to push herself out of the booth, and I grabbed her wrist, “Wait, listen. Please just listen to me for a few minutes. Please.”
She sat back down, but this time she was stiff in the seat as she glared at me.
“Ember, I know you probably think this is totally none of my business, and quite frankly it probably isn’t, but I’m only trying to help here.”
“I don’t need your help,” she ground out through tight lips.
“Maybe you don’t think so, but I do. You know what I see?” I leaned over the table so I could lower my voice. “I see a beautiful woman who is screaming out for something, but she doesn’t know what it is she wants. I see someone who uses her body to try and get attention when instead she should be using her head.”
The muscles in her cheeks were twitching on both sides, and I wondered if she was going to need to see a dentist when we were done here.
“My point to this is to get you to see that you’re a better person who deserves so much more than you are giving yourself credit for.”
She snorted, “And how the hell do you think not sleeping around will do that?”
“Well, first of all, it will give you a chance to take a good long look at what you really want, without hiding behind those artificial sexual releases.”
“I’ll have you know that there was nothing artificial about them.”
I watched her for a moment until she squirmed. “Tell me something, Ember, did any of those guys you recently slept with make you feel alive?”
“I don’t need this shit,” she stated and darted out of the booth. I grabbed my wallet and tossed down more than enough to pay for our meal and rushed out after her.
If she didn’t have broken toes, she might have had the chance of getting away, but as it was, she was hobbling as fast as she could down the street.
“Ember!” I shouted, but she didn’t stop so I ran after her, “Ember, wait.” I pulled her to a stop and out of the way of the foot traffic. “Wait a second. I was not trying to hurt you. I was trying to make you think.”
“Fuck you, Colt. Did you ever think that maybe I don’t want to think about it?”
“Ember, that’s the point. You don’t think.” I cradled the side of her face in my palm, “You are an incredible woman who deserves so much more. Don’t you want that for yourself?” She refused to meet my gaze, and I let her face go. “Do me a favor and come with me. I want to show you something. Let me show you this and finish explaining what I am proposing and then if you still want me to go to hell, then I will, but give me just a few more minutes.”
After a tense minute, she finally relented, “Fine.”
“Good,” I released a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding and grabbed her hand. “Taxi!” I shouted as I pulled her to the edge of the sidewalk.
I had one chance to get this right, one chance to convince her to take my challenge, and I had to pull out all the stops which meant I was going to have to use something she loved against her.
