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“What? You’ve been there?”
“Not why you called,” she sang. “Continue with your scenario.”
“Do I get to eat dinner and then break things off, or do I have to tell him before I get a juicy steak?”
“Whew. That’s a tough one. Marble Mansion’s got a fabulous filet mignon that melts in your mouth and is totally worth putting up with a douchebag like Richard to get one. On the other hand, I think you’re required to do the right thing. I can see your problem.”
“I don’t get to eat, do I?”
Dee chuckled. “No. You have to tell him first. Maybe a drink in the bar or at the table before ordering. That way, it’s done and over. If he still wants to eat, order the filet mignon with crab. Delicious.”
“Who did you go to the Marble Mansion with?”
“Not talking about me. Let’s stay focused. I suggest you drive your own car. Men get a little touchy when they get dumped.”
“Yeah, I’d already decided to do that. At some point, you need to tell me who you dumped that left you stranded. I can’t believe there’s a story I don’t know. Now, let’s talk about clothes. What’s the best breakup outfit?”
Later that evening, as I fastened my necklace, I studied Baxter sprawled out on my bed. I hated leaving him home alone, but I suspected I wouldn’t be gone all that long. In my experience—limited though it may be—men like Richard Long did not take rejection well. Even a mild disagreement with one of his opinions would leave him annoyed. I was not looking forward to tonight. I strongly suspected I wouldn’t be enjoying one of those mouth-watering steaks my sister had described. Oh well. This had to be done.
But at least I could be sure Baxter would be safe at my house with my state-of-the-art security system. I chuckled at my own thoughts. If anyone had told me that I would have a dog in my house, much less in my bed, I would have accused them of being on some type of hallucinogen. And yet, here I stood, smiling at a tiny dog lying on his back with his legs wrapped in my thousand-count thread sheets. The little monster had grown on me. I was going to miss him when he went home.
While putting the posts of my diamond earrings into my ear lobes, my phone vibrated beside me. The caller ID read “ZACK!”
“Hey,” I said on answering. “I guess you got the message about dinner tonight.
“I did, but tell me what’s going on. Your message was a tad cryptic.”
“I’m doing exactly what we talked about. Richard called today and insisted on dinner.”
“Richard. Is this the guy you’ve been seeing but won’t after today?” His voice was deep and gravelly. Shivers ran up and down her spine.
“You know his name,” I chided. “And yes, Richard. I’m meeting him at the Marble Mansion in about an hour.” I sighed. “I wish it were politically correct to dump him via text.”
“Ouch. That’s brutal. Promise me you’ll never do that to me.”
I smiled. “Now, that’s a promise I can make.”
“Why didn’t you just call him up and tell him to take a hike? Or even ask him to come by your house for a drink and do this in private?”
“Because I know him. He’s going to be furious…not that he’s so attached to me that losing me will be a heartbreaking for him. It’s mostly going to be damage to his ego. He likes to be the one who decides when a relationship is over. In public, he will be conscientious about his reputation. He’ll be the perfect gentleman.” I shrugged even though only I could see my action in my mirror. “In private, well, his anger is more likely to emerge. I’d rather not deal with that.”
Zack was quiet for a moment. “Do I need to be worried about this guy? I mean, he’s never hit you or anything, has he? Because if he has, you’re not going to meet with him in private or in public.” The barely suppressed fury could be heard in his every word.
“Calm down, Captain America. I’d never let a man hit me. And if one did, you’d never find the body.”
“Good. Now that you’ve got my blood pressure into dangerous territory, explain why a simple phone call won’t suffice.”
I sighed. “Richard isn’t a bad guy. Not at all. He’s just not the right guy for me. But we’ve been together long enough he deserves to be told in person. It’ll be fine. I promise. I even suspect I’ll be early if you still want to have dinner.”
“Aww, Princess. I was calling to let you know I got called into work. I’m sorry. I hate it, but it’s the job.”
“I understand. I really do. Call me later?”
“I know what I’d rather do to you later.”
“Oh yeah? Tell me more.”
He then spent the next five minutes going into graphic detail about what he wanted to do to me as soon as we had any alone time. Damn him. I ended the call with wet panties and a throbbing core.
