I lift an eyebrow. “One dinner for a night’s worth of sex? Most men have to pay thousands of dollars for that kind of service.”
Awkward. I didn’t mean to compare myself to a prostitute and thankfully Jesse doesn’t seem to notice.
“I don’t do parents, Alix.”
I want to make a joke about not being able to ‘do’ anyone, but quickly reconsider. I want him to help me, not fight me.
“I’ll tell you what. If you come to dinner with me tomorrow night, you can consider your debt repaid. We don’t have to go on another lunch or dinner date. It’s finished.”
As he ponders the idea, the doors open to the floor of the penthouse and we exit.
“And what about the other thing?” he asks as we approach the entrance to his suite.
I lean against the white door and smile up at him. I can’t believe he still refuses to say orgasm.
“If I’m staying the night at your place, I hope it’s not to play cards.”
A pink hue flashes over his face and he ignores me as he swipes his card and unlocks the door. I wait patiently as he taps his card against the palm of his hand. I don’t care how long it takes for him to get inside his room, just as long as he stays there and doesn’t come out.
“I’ll call you tomorrow to arrange a time to pick you up for dinner.”
I grin triumphantly and pat him on the shoulder. “Sounds like a plan.”
I head back down the hall, but before I completely disappear into the elevator, I turn around. “You’re never going to hear the end of this,” I warn him.
With a glare over his shoulder, he steps inside his room and shuts the door. I hit the button and the elevator door closes. Slumping against the wall, I smile to myself. For the first time in years, I won’t be the black sheep at the family dinner and maybe for the first time in years, I might actually enjoy the occasion.
Chapter Ten
Jesse
I switch the radio off as my brain slams into my skull. It’s a painful reminder of why I stopped over-drinking years ago. Once Alix walked me back to my suite, I crashed on the couch and slept for twenty hours. Naturally, when I woke up, I felt like I was hit by a bus and I’ve felt that way ever since. I’d like to write yesterday off as a day that never happened, but unfortunately I wasn’t the only one who witnessed it. I still can’t believe the way I acted… I got drunk because I was trying to ease my nerves. Alix didn’t text me back, and I knew she either fell asleep, or ignored it on purpose. My behavior was pathetic really, spurred by hormones and nothing else. Thankfully, my slip up yesterday has gone unnoticed by everyone except Alix and the other boy who works the bar—Marise.
I pull up outside Alix’s apartment complex and check my watch. I’m on time—exactly on time. Seven o’clock is the time she requested I be here by, and now she’s the one running late.
I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel about this dinner. Alix told me to suit up (as if I own any other type of clothes), and if her parents ask, I’m to tell them Alix and I have been dating for seven weeks. I don’t know what her plan is, but I know it’s not going to be good.
With a heavy exhale, I prop my elbow against the window and rest my head. Instantly, my neck begins to ache so I drop it and out of the corner of my eye, I see white. I turn my attention in its direction and almost lose my breath at the sight of Alix. I’ve never seen her look so… not like a bad influence on everyone around her. Her strapless dress stops a few inches short of the knee and allows more wriggle room, instead of sticking to her body like cling wrap. I wonder what she’s wearing underneath… I shake my head and clear my throat as my train of thought slips south. That is definitely not something I should be thinking before a dinner with her parents. If I take it any further, I doubt I’ll be able to look her father in the eye.
As she steps from the stairs and into the parking lot, I quickly jump out of the car. The cool evening wind blows her new, softly curled hair over her shoulder and I swear I barely recognize her. Gone is the proud, arrogant woman, who holds my balls in a vice, replaced by a girl who looks surprisingly tame and… innocent.
“You look as if you’ve seen a ghost,” she says as she approaches me.
The corners of her glossed lips pull up as she flashes me a knowing smirk. Two can play at this game. I smirk back. “Not a ghost. A lady. It’s been a while since I’ve had dinner with a lady. You scrub up well.”
She chuckles and tucks a lock of hair behind her ear. “Don’t judge a book by its cover, Mr. O’Ryan. I can assure you, I’m most definitely not a lady.”