Trust Me .(30)

“That sounds amazing. I love seafood.”

Maddox turns on the radio as we head towards St. Charles, but I couldn’t tell you what songs have been playing. I find he’s very easy to talk to. He asks me about work this week and Brooklyn. We talk about what it was like growing up with four older brothers, and I’m sharing stories that he hasn’t heard yet as we pull into the parking lot at the pier. Maddox helps me out of the truck, and we start walking towards the deep, dark water of the Missouri River. The cool fresh air has a crispness to it tonight, and I realize I didn’t bring a jacket with me and probably should have. Maddox slides his hand into mine as we set out towards the shoreline.

We decide to try The Fisherman’s Warf for dinner, both of us hearing good things about their seafood. Maddox pulls open the big wooden red door. We are instantly assaulted with the delicious aromas of the sea as we step inside. Once inside, we walk towards the hostess stand, Maddox’s hand warmly sitting on my lower back sending tingles of delight straight to my lady parts. As we approach, I notice the hostess give Maddox a head to toe once-over and pastes on her best seductive smile. Really? He’s actually here with me, and she’s openly flirting with him in front of me?

Maddox, also, seems to notice her instant change to super-slut. He gives her a smile, though not one that reaches his eyes, nor the smile he has been giving me lately. The one I love that’s full of cockiness and dirty thoughts. “Hi.”

“Well, hello there,” she coos sweetly.

He turns away from her and stares into my eyes. Though he’s talking to Miss Slutty Hostess, he never takes his eyes off of me. “We’d like a table for two. Somewhere quiet and very intimate; somewhere we can’t be interrupted by tacky women who think they can distract me from the most beautiful woman in the world here for even one second.” He then gives me that super sexy smile that makes my insides turn to Jell-O and my panties a little damp.

After a few moments, the hostess clears her throat, and we finally return our attention back to her. She gives him a curt nod and says, “Follow me.”

We follow Miss Slutty Hostess to the back of the restaurant which overlooks the river. The tables all have mismatched tablecloths on them with a small tiki torch style candle in the middle giving off a romantic glow. The hostess sets two menus down on the table and turns to face us.

“Your waiter will be with you shortly,” she says with a small smile as she turns to quickly walk away.

Maddox still has his hand on the small of my back as he pulls my chair out for me and offers me the seat. He takes the seat across from me and hands me a worn menu. As I open up the menu, our waiter arrives and delivers a couple of glasses of water. “Good evening,” he says. “What can I get you guys to drink?”

Maddox nods at me, so I answer, “Amaretto Stone Sour, please.”

“Bud Light bottle for me. Thanks.”

“I’ll be back in just a few moments with your drinks and a bread basket.”

As our waiter walks away, I skim over the menu. Seafood is one of my favorite foods so I’m in heaven with all the fish and shrimp floating around this place.

“What looks good?” he asks as he browses over his menu.

“I’m thinking the coconut butterfly shrimp smothered in a rich pina colada sauce sounds delicious. I’m going with that. What about you?”

“I’m a steak and shrimp guy, myself,” he says as he lays his menu back down on the table. He reaches across the table for my hand and gently starts to rub the tops of my fingers with his.

“So tell me about what your family has been up to? I haven’t seen them in forever.”

He dives right in and tells me all about his mom and dad who still live in Rivers Edge. His younger brother, Aiden, moved into the city when he started college and never really came back to our small, rural town. “Aiden was always into the lights and sounds of the city. Doesn’t surprise me that he’s stayed there to live and work. He’s more suited for the fast pace that I am. And Jessica is still in California chasing her dream.”

Our waiter returns to deliver our drinks and take our orders. Conversation flows from both of us as we get to know each other on a more personal level. I’ve known Maddox most of my life, but he was Jake’s friend and so much older than me, so I never really got to know him personally.

When our food arrives, we dive right into the delicious food. “Oh my God, these shrimp are so delicious,” I say as my eyes flutter closed and a small moan slips from my mouth. When I open my eyes, he’s staring at my mouth.

“You have a little sauce right here,” he says as he drags his pointer finger across my bottom lip. My tongue slips out to remove any remaining trace of the sauce and grazes against his finger. His eyes darken and he swallows hard as he watches my tongue. I spear a shrimp with my fork and hold it out for him to try. He leans forward and gently eats the shrimp off my fork. “You’re right. That is damn good,” he says as he looks deep into my eyes. Our playful banter continues throughout our meal and before I know it, the waiter is removing our empty plates.