Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 100466 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 502(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100466 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 502(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
"Should I say then it suits you?"
"Only if I fucked the wit right out of you." Her smile is equal parts sweet and dirty. "But how would that be possible? You're the one who fucked me."
There's something about her goofy, dirty joke. It's sexy and adorable at the same time. "I think we can count it as the two of us fucking each other."
"You don't want to get technical on the definition of fucking?" she asks.
"No, but we can, if you insist."
"No. I just meant, uh…" She blows air over the cup. "You were the one in the more active role."
"You played your part."
She fights a blush.
"You played it well. You're good at this."
"Thanks." Her eyes go to the wall behind me. "You too… but I'm sure you know that."
I do. This is one thing I know. Maybe the only thing I know about myself and relationships. Still, I want to hear her feedback. I want it to be good for her. "I still like to hear it."
She blows air over the drink one more time, then she takes a sip, sighs, swallows. "Do I look as awkward as I feel? I've begged so many ex-boyfriends to talk about sex, but now that we're here, I get why they were hesitant. It's odd."
"You're nervous. It's sweet."
"Sweet? Okay. I'll take that." She takes a long sip, settles into the seat, finds her words. "I didn't bring you here to have my way with you verbally."
"Damn. And I thought Thai restaurants were your kink."
"Is it the Buddha statues that do it for you?" she teases me back. "Or is it something else?"
My lips curl into a smile. "It feels domestic, doesn't it? Like we've been together a long time."
"It's not the place you take someone to impress them." Her eyes go to the watch on my left hand. "That's where I imagine you on dates. Nobu or Geoffrey's. Some place with a view of the ocean and a menu without prices."
"The watch was a gift," I say.
She nods I know and takes another sip of her tea. "Where do you take your dates?"
"I've taken women to Nobu."
She smiles called it.
"Usually, I do drinks for a first date. And somewhere in LA or Malibu proper. I try not to date in Malibu Hills."
She nods of course. "Too high a chance you'll run into someone." She takes another sip of tea. "What about the second date? Nobu time? Or maybe you save it for the third date." She waggles her brows in another gesture that's goofy and sexy as sin.
A laugh spills from my lips. "Do people still wait to have sex on exactly the third date?" Did people ever do that?
"Statistically, no, and I haven't heard anyone mention it in a while," she says. "I think Tinder put a stop to that."
"And where do you take your Tinder dates?" I return her question.
She smiles you wish you knew. "Oh no. You didn't answer. Where is date two?"
"Drinks again," I say. "Then, a restaurant. One the woman will like. If she has expensive tastes and loves sushi, then I'll take her to Nobu."
"You don't have a default place?"
I shake my head. "I try to suggest somewhere she'll like. Or I ask her."
"Do women usually answer?"
"Of course. It's the twenty-first century," I say.
She looks me over slowly, noting my casual linen shirt and shorts. "I guess I can't imagine you on this casual date, with this modern woman, who decides where you'll go."
"What am I doing now?"
She bites her lip. "I did demand we go here. That's a good point."
"But you think I'm an old-timey romance hero?" I ask.
"A detective, actually." She smiles. "So you know all the best spots. And you always pick the right one. Since you've followed leads all over the city."
I shake my head. "And where did you get this idea?"
"From your clothes. And a few of my sexual fantasies."
"Oh." I raise a brow and lean a little closer. I don't mean to bring it back to sex, and I don't think she does either, but it's in the air. After all, this is the kind of place you go after sex. Not because it's unimpressive in conventional ways. Because it's an easy, fast way to feed yourself so you have energy for the next round.
"There might be a scenario in my head," she says. "With an interrogation."
"I'm listening."
She shakes her head. "No. I'm trying to talk about other things. I swear."
"Can you talk about other things?" I tease her.
She laughs. "Maybe. That's a theory I need to test. How many minutes can Daphne Webb go without bringing the topic back to sex."
"Minutes?" I shake my head I don't think so. "We're at seconds."
Her laugh is big, hearty. It floats through the air, filling the room with warmth.
She has such a gorgeous laugh. I want to listen to it forever.