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I want to shake my head no or just run out of the restaurant, but I don’t. Because I want to stay more than I want to go.
* * *
JL
Paper-thin slices of sashimi glisten on a bed of white vinegary rice—salmon, fatty tuna, yellowfin, and eel show off their varying charms. I pick up a piece of glistening salmon with my chopsticks and hold it to Micki’s mouth, feeling the pull as she snatches it. Her eyes are hazy with enjoyment as she savors the morsel coated with wasabi, a piece of ginger perched on top.
“I see you found someone to feed you fish,” Cress says. Then she grabs a piece of eel Max holds out to her.
“She has.” I gaze at Micki’s mouth.
Ma blonde swallows. “Merci, mon loup.” I start at the name.
If she notices, there’s no sign of it. “Thought you wanted to know more about Vancouver, Cress?”
“Too busy enjoying this fabulous spread.” She beams like Glinda, the good witch, as she focuses on my hand caressing Micki anywhere that isn’t totally indecent. “And I thought you called JL ‘Beau.’
“Doesn’t work so well. He’s more wolflike than anything.”
J’adore. With a wolfish grin, I prepare another slice. In the meantime, she has forgiven me, and holds a ruby red morsel of fatty tuna between her chopsticks and, when I open my mouth, slips it onto my tongue. A little groan rumbles in my throat.
The rich taste of the toro lingers, tender flesh melting like snowflakes as it slides down. The contrast between the vinegary sushi rice grains and the silken texture of the tuna is almost a religious experience.
I lean into her and touch my tongue to her parted lips, tasting the strawberry flavor of the lip gloss that coats the bright red lipstick beneath over the vinegar. My shoulders stiffen and my arms feel heavy as I imagine carrying her out of the restaurant and whisking her off to bed.
Since I came with Max, we can’t ride into the sunset on my bike. Instead, swallowing my frustration, I spear a piece of yellowtail and feed it to her. “Love you,” I mouth as she accepts my offering.
As dinner goes on, our intimacy dissolves. Hard to be in a party of six and carry on as if we are in private.
“Damn it, Jar.” Elizabeth rises slightly and reaches across the table, trying to slap my colleague. “You are the biggest asshole I’ve ever known. Crawl back into the tree stump you sprouted from.”
“You’re comparing me to fungi?”
With a snort, she says, “You’re not evolved enough for fungi; you’re just slimy mold. I should have known you wouldn’t have changed. I’m sorry I ever agreed to Clay Brandon’s offer.”
What the hell happened while I was wooing Micki? Max, frowning at his second-in-command, drums the fingers of his left hand on the table. “Jarvis, you need to concentrate on reconstructing the update and let Elizabeth do what she’s hired for—working on the malware issue. You know better than most people this is a team effort, not a solo ascent.”
“Fine,” Jarvis says, the scowl accompanying the syllable belying the bland agreement. “But I don’t know why we need to share an office. There must be some little cubicle she can perch in like the bird of prey she is.” He snickers at his obvious reference to her bird rescue work.
Max throws him a thunderous glare. Cress whispers something in his ear and he slumps forward, resting his head in his hands.
“Crisse, Jarvis. Try to act your age. Sulky teens are not wanted here.”
A pained expression crosses Jarvis’ face. “Can’t she work remotely? Like back in St. Louis?”
Max raises his head. “Of course not. Hell’s bells, man, you should know better than that. Even with the best security, we can’t be sure there wouldn’t be a breach. And she needs to be available for consultation. Stop being a bloody berk. The faster we get this resolved, the sooner you and Elizabeth can go back to pretending you’ve never met.”
Then, with a sigh, Max casts me a look. “And you, JL, do you think it’s appropriate to practically have sex in full view? I was starting to think you were going to sweep everything off the table, lay her out, and eat sushi off her.”
Micki leans into me, shaking with silent laughter. Calisse. I harden at the feel of her body quivering against me.
Cress squeezes Max’s arm, shaking her head. and his face falls. Then she whispers something that lights him up like fireworks, fizzing and sparking.
Servers bring continuous courses of sushi enhanced by cup after tasting cup of sake. Mike’s explanations enhance the experience. Each new offering comes in a fresh set of serving pieces made of elegant ceramic or porcelain.
We’re a table piled with unfettered emotion fueled by alcohol, feelings running like flames from one to another. Anger and the bliss have combined, and we are all in a frenzied state.
“Let me know what I owe you.” My fingers play over the GSU app on my phone as I gauge the arrival time of Sean, who’s on call. “We’re leaving now.” Staying risks a meltdown, leaving may lead to paradise.
