"You sure do know how to lay it on thick," Monica laughed trying to make light of the situation and the startling revelation that her Gabe was a very rich man. "Tell me how a handsome, charming man like you ended up on an online dating site. I doubt you have much trouble finding dates."
Gabe's smiled faltered a little as she spoke and Monica instantly regretted her words.
"I'm sorry…I didn't mean to offend you," she began.
He cut her off with a wave of his hand.
"You don't need to apologize. The truth is, this is my first real date in over 6 months," he confessed. "Don't look so surprised," he continued when Monica raised her eyebrows at his admission. "After being married for 15 years, it's hard to meet women again--at least it's hard to meet decent women."
"What do you consider 'decent'?" she asked, curious.
"Hmm, someone like you," he replied after a second's thought.
"Come on, be serious," Monica chided laughingly. "What do you consider your ideal woman?"
"I am being serious," he answered. "But if you want me to go more in depth, I suppose I'm looking for someone who is honest and real. Most women only look at me and see my money and what I can give them financially. You're not like that. I mean, you didn't even know who I was until just a moment ago. I can’t tell you how relieved I am to finally meet someone who likes me for me."
"That's kind of presumptuous of you, isn't it?" Monica teased. "How do you know I'm not another gold digger after your money?"
Gabe gave her a bashful smile that crinkled his eyes, and Monica was lost.
"Well, I hope you like me for me," he said. "I certainly like you for you."
"But what about looks wise?" she asked, clearing her throat, trying to keep her composure.
"I'm pretty open-minded when it comes to looks," he answered.
"Oh really? So you weren't a little let down when you saw I was your date tonight?" Monica asked. "I mean a guy like you could get any girl he wants. I'm pretty sure I don't fit your ideal physically."
Reaching out a hand he covered hers over the table and stroked it lightly. The contact sent chills up Monica's arm, and she drew back involuntarily, her breath hitching.
"Look, Monica, I don't know why you think I'd be disappointed you were my date. In fact, I couldn't be happier you're with me tonight, and that's the truth. When I first saw you, I thought you were stunning, still do actually," he admitted.
"I'm sorry. I feel like I'm being such a Debbie Downer," she said. "It's just that I've never had great experiences when it came to dating. You seem almost too good to be true. You're perfect."
"Oh, I'm far from perfect," Gabe countered,” but I do know a good thing when I see it."
Monica flushed with pleasure at the compliments Gabe showered on her. He knew exactly what to say to put her at ease, and she was thoroughly enjoying their date. As the night progressed, she found herself opening up to him like she had never done with anyone else. They talked like they had known each other for years, instead of just two weeks. They tried the food off of each other's plates, and her wine glass was never empty.#p#分页标题#e#
When Gabe reached out and covered her hand with his a second time, she didn't pull away. She smiled and enjoyed the pleasure of that small contact with him. She was laughing at one of his silly stories when they were abruptly interrupted by a tall skinny blonde woman and her companion, a shorter auburn haired beauty. Both women came up to their table and showered Gabe with their attention, turning their back to Monica.
"Oh Gabe!" the taller blonde trilled. "I haven't seen you here in ages!"
"Hello Christy," Gabe replied. Monica took some solace that he seemed to be annoyed at their interruption.
"What, I don't get a hello?" the shorter one pouted.
"Annabelle," Gabe said, with a short nod of his head.
"What are you doing here? We thought you'd gone into hiding," the tall one named Christy asked.
"I'm here on a date," Gabe answered, trying to keep his annoyance in check.
Christy and Annabelle turned to Monica at that point and gave her an appraising look. Monica could tell that they clearly thought she wasn't in their league, but they plastered on fake smiles as they introduced themselves.
"Oh hello, there. And you are…?" Annabelle asked.
"Hello, I'm Monica."
With barely a nod of acknowledgement, Christy and Annabelle turned back to Gabe and continued talking with him, ignoring Monica.
"So will we be seeing you at Missy's charity ball next weekend?" Christy asked.