“We could give you a ride home,” he suggested and smiled softly.
She shook her head. “I don’t know you, remember.”
“Well, we’re going to take care of that tomorrow night. I was just being helpful, not trying anything,” he said to her and his tone was a little odd, but she figured it was just her. She wasn’t used to dating. She never said yes, until now, and probably because she was trying to get the Dawn brothers out of her head.
“Bye,” she said and they shook hands even though he leaned a little closer and lower as if he may kiss her cheek good-bye.
She headed toward her friends and the questions began as they made their way out of the club.
“They are very good-looking. So when is the date?” Adel asked her, and she told them all the details and they talked about what she should wear.
“Maybe even the new panties and bra set you just purchased,” Alicia teased and winked.
“No way. I’m not that kind of girl,” she replied and they smiled and told her they were kidding and then talked to her about being careful and she loved them for it.
Chapter 3
Mercedes was a nervous wreck as she drove her little beat-up Jetta to Wager County. She had mixed emotions about this date. Initially it was just the typical expectations of first dates, getting to know Jeff and Damien and how this could turn out. Like what if she liked them and they didn’t like her or if one of them liked her and the other didn’t. Then her mind traveled to Kurt, Taylor, and Warner. She felt sick, guilty, and of course began to compare all five of the men.
She almost cancelled as she thought about her feelings for Taylor, Warner, and Kurt and how she was truly avoiding them out of her own fears. Maybe Jeff and Damien would be better for her and more compatible. Hell, maybe just Jeff would be and she would be fine with that. As she parked her car she hoped that they were nice and that they didn’t try to kiss her. The thought gave her more guilt and she had to yell at herself for being stupid. Kurt, Warner, and Taylor were too old for her, too experienced, and too unreliable. Plus they didn’t like her like that. If they liked her it was probably just for sex because the attraction was there. She didn’t need that. This date was an opportunity to get more experience and see what types of men were out there. Nothing more would come of it unless it went really well and they asked her out again. But first she needed to get through this first date and her nerves. God, she was so inexperienced, she probably looked like a clueless virgin at age twenty-six. Damn it.
She got out of her car, locked the door, and then placed her keys in her bag. She smoothed out the pale green dress she wore that hit right above the knees, only showing off some thigh skin, but the matching heels made her legs look sexy. The dress had spaghetti straps and was cut right across where her cleavage began. Not too low, conservative, sort of considering she was well endowed and it was difficult to find nice dresses that didn’t show off too much.
She walked through the open doorway and was greeted by the hostess but before she could explain that she was meeting someone, Jeff appeared. He was alone and she felt her heart sink a little. The feelings of not being good enough for Damien hit her at once. That was her own lack of self-confidence but she smiled wide and shook his hand hello. Jeff stepped closer and kissed her cheek then stepped back, still holding her hand and looked her over. “You look so beautiful and so sweet. Like an angel,” he said and winked. She supposed that was a good description of her character. She was conservative, soft spoken, and sort of shy. Suddenly she wondered if she should have worn the low-cut, black, slim-fitting dress that Adele had suggested. Then Jeff would be drooling over her.
He led her inside to a table where she saw Damien sitting and talking on a cell phone. He held it in front of him and it seemed like he took a picture or two of her as she approached. A compliment or kind of creepy? She wasn’t sure. He put the phone down and stood up, kissed her cheek hello, looked her over as if appraising her dress and seeing if it were designer or not. He definitely had expectations in his women. She could dress designer but not on her salary. She felt a little strange.
She sat down and they had already ordered a bottle of wine. Jeff poured her a glass.
“I have to admit, it was torture not seeing you for so many hours,” Jeff said and then clinked his wine glass to hers. Damien did the same and held her gaze.
“That’s very sweet of you,” she replied.
“You are the sweet one, Mercedes,” Damien said and took another sip of his wine.
“So, you live in the town after Wager, how are the restaurants and bars there?” Jeff asked her and she told him about Spencer’s.
“I have to be honest, I’ve never been there before. Our work tends to bring us to more exotic places like the Caribbean, Puerto Rico, and even Hawaii. How about you? Travel a lot?”
“No, I’m a secretary for a business in Chance. I work a lot of hours,” she said and didn’t want to tell them that it was the sheriff’s department. Some guys were intimidated by that. They might feel like she could get them into trouble if they overstepped their bounds or hurt her feelings. She probably could if she wanted to but that wasn’t her. She just wanted to be liked for who she was and not for anything else.
They looked over the menus, ordered, and then talked some more. Jeff took many opportunities to touch her skin, to caress her hair, and even stare into her eyes.
“Your eyes are hazel, not brown. Very nice,” Jeff said and smiled softly.
“I thought they were brown, but they do look so stunning and stand out, especially with your hair. It’s brown with red highlights. I like it,” Damien said and then she saw him with his phone again. Jeff pressed his fingers to her chin, turning her face toward him. She had a funny feeling. The more she talked to these men it seemed like they were sizing her up as much as she was sizing them up. Damien looked at his phone a lot and Jeff occupied most of the conversation, but the little comments Damien added still made her think he found her attractive. She was so confused and clueless about men and dating. She needed to really pay attention and learn, but she wanted to see if there was an attraction. They seemed to be shopping.
“Our business tends to keep us very busy and we get interrupted often, but don’t worry, that’s why there are two of us,” Jeff said and touched his finger to her lip, pulled back, and smiled.
She felt intimidated to say the least as she glanced at Damien.
“Does that interest you, or are you shy, having two men wanting to pay attention to you, date you?” he asked.
She swallowed hard.
“I never considered it before,” she replied. A total lie. She considered three men. Warner, Taylor, and Kurt. What was she doing here?
“Really, you’ve never been involved with multiple men at once?” he asked and brought her hand to his lips and kissed the top. She shook her head. He smiled, glanced at Damien, and then lowered her hand.