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He sipped his short black. I could smell it from where I sat, strong and spicy. It was another favorite specialty they did with their extravagant meal menu. “Did you get a new one? And is she hot?”
I looked away from his devious face as he said the words. Eric was a playboy, and he saw women as meat, ripe and juicy and needing a man to take them to soaring heights in the bedroom. Then, after he was satisfied, the next conquest would ensue. I was a dominator in the bedroom, not the player type. I also found a woman’s intelligence and beauty vivid and alluring. I wasn’t about to let this conversation take hold. Eric’s standards were somewhat different than my own.
I looked at my watch. “Shit, I gotta run. Alexis will be wondering where I am. We’re going out tonight.”
“Okay, man. Catch up soon. I’m gonna set you up with Leticia’s friend, Charlie-Anne. Fuck, she’s a blonde bombshell…”
I up and left him mid-conversation. “No,” I said, giving him my usual look of discouragement. “Speak soon.”
As I drove home, I wondered why I didn’t want to tell Eric about Karly yet, about the way I saw her. Usually, we could talk about women all afternoon. Did I really like her enough to put her in the secret zone? Wow, I really did have a thing for her, it seemed. I wasn’t quite sure if I could keep going on without having her. I would ask her to dinner tonight with Alexis and me. I hoped she’d come because she really was growing on me. I missed her when I wasn’t home. Fuck. I missed her?
When I arrived home, I felt the usual excitement I always did. Beautiful Alexis hugged me, and a warm smile came from Karly, which made my whole body heat up like wildfire.
“You wanna join us for dinner?” I said, undoing my tie after placing Alexis down.
“Oh. Okay, sure.” The warm smile stayed on her gorgeous face; it was like watching the sun hit the bluest ocean in the Caribbean. The way her eyes sparkled gave me goose bumps. The masculine part of me was going wild inside, but for Alexis’s sake, I stayed respectful.
At the restaurant, Alexis gave Clara all her attention. The growing chemistry between Karly and me was unrelenting. I felt like I was back in college, but my feelings were stronger than just wanting to take her to bed with me. She was captivating—the way she spoke, her mannerisms, all of her.
I was interrupted by Alexis’s question to Karly. “Karly-good-girl, on Munnay, can I please have doughnuts for breakfast? Right before kindy with Linda-kind-lady?”
I smiled as Karly locked eyes with me. She was seeking my approval. I was happy for it to happen once in a blue moon, and I nodded a yes so she could answer.
“Sure. I’ll bring them over in the morning. You can choose which one you’d like. Does that sound good?” she said, squeezing Alexis’s arm.
“Aha!” said Alexis, beaming a bright smile.
I looked at Alexis and remembered to tell her to tell Clara about the word correction. “Can you please tell Clara that it’s ‘Monday,’ not ‘Munnay’?”
“Thank you, Dada.” She picked up Clara and whispered to the ever-smiling doll. “Clara said she’s just testing you to make sure you remembered. Kay?”
“Yes. Thank you, Clara,” I said. I kept my serious face on. Clara liked to be taken seriously.
Alexis began playing with the napkins and the cutlery, enthralled with a game she’d come up with. The salt and pepper shakers were people, and the straw became a friendly worm that had lost his way.
My eyes fell on Karly. Her beautiful shoulder-length hair had a blue hue beaming through it from the lighting, and she blushed as my eyes moved and locked onto hers. She looked beautiful in the dress she’d put on, the silvery sparkle of it matching her earrings. She looked radiant, in fact. I realized I wanted her more than anything else in the world. It was exceptionally hard to keep being Dada and not drag her home and take her like I wanted to. It seemed unfathomable that she didn’t have a boyfriend.
Fuck, I had it really bad for her.
Chapter 6
Karly
The line in the doughnut store became shorter by the minute. Still, the early morning rush was maybe not the best time to come. Not on the way to work, anyway.
“One of each,” I said, and the girl packed the six doughnuts that made up their supreme collection. I mentally licked my lips as I saw the whipped cream on a double chocolate. Yes, naughty but nice, as most things were in life.
I glanced at the clock as I left the store. Being late wasn’t an option. I was proud that I’d never been late for work my entire life. My normal pair of high heels was now safely in its rightful place in my closet in the box the shoes had come in. A pair of flats was now ideal, both for speed and walking back and forth to do chores—and for rushing to get to work on time.
