“How old are you?” she asked, wanting to see if he would double down on the age listed on his profile.
As soon as the question registered in his brain, a look of shock crossed his handsome wrinkle-free face.
“What makes you think it’s different from what I stated on my profile?” he tried and failed to school his annoyance at her question.
“The lack of wrinkles on your hands and face. Also, honestly, the lack of life experience that was painfully present during our conversation. I liked you, Bryce. You seem nice enough, but something is off. What I can’t figure out is why you’d lie about your age. Most people always knock a few years off. Hell, I considered it. People don’t usually add years to their age. So, I’m trying to figure out why a handsome guy, such as yourself, would do that … on purpose.” She motioned for the waiter to refill her glass.
Bryce set his napkin beside his plate and leaned back in his seat. “I’m surprised you picked up on it so easily. Most women don’t notice.”
Sara shrugged, feeling much bolder than usual for some reason. “It’s pretty obvious to anyone who pays attention to the person they are with, or I guess you could sum it up to me not being like most women.” And she wasn’t. She wasn’t just a run-of-the-mill human woman. She was a witch and a powerful one at that.
“Maybe it’s because most women are so hung up on talking about themselves, they don’t really pay attention,” Bryce said.
“That could be, but it still doesn’t explain why you do it.” She countered.
“There are a couple of reasons. For one, I like older women. There’s nothing hotter than a woman who knows who she is and what she wants,” he explained, suddenly looking excited.
“That can’t be the only reason for the elaborate ruse. Surely, it’s not just to lure women to your bed,” she laughed at the mere thought.
“While it is a leading factor, no. It’s not the only reason. Older men tend to get more respect than someone my age. They get better job offers and better pay. So, I figured why not? Why should I be discriminated against because I’m younger than my colleagues?”
“Wow.” Sara didn’t know how to respond to the cocky little sucker sitting in front of her. “So, how old are you?” she asked cautiously.
“I’ll be twenty-five next month.”
“Oh, no,” she gasped. “I’m old enough to be your mom!”
“It’s not like that. You are hot for your age, and trust me when I tell you there are things I could do to you that would make you forget about the age difference,” he said proudly.
“Okay, I think we’re done here.”
“Oh, come on now. It’s not like I’m the only one who lies. You listed on your profile that you were never married!”
“I’m not married!” She objected. “Never have been!”
He rolled his eyes. “Semantics. Mated is the same as married in the shifter world. So, what’s going on here? You stepping out on your man, or you a widow, or what?”
Sara’s mouth dropped open in shock. So Bryce was a shifter, and Rhett’s mark had been somehow noticeable to him.
She wasn’t going to ask him how he’d noticed it. She didn’t want to reveal that she knew nothing about the mark she bore on her shoulder.
She shook her head and motioned for the waiter, asking for the check as soon as he approached.
“Really?” Bryce balked. “Just like that? You don’t want to explore the options here? I don’t need some commitment. I’m happy to fuck your brains out if the man at home is failing to perform.”
“He is not failing to perform,” Sara snapped, coming to Rhett’s defense though she had no idea why she felt the urge to.
Her tone clearly irritated Bryce. He sat back in his seat with a sneer on his face. “So maybe you’re just such an uptight bitch that he wants nothing to do with your frigid pussy.” He snatched the bill out of her hands and threw some bills in the folder. “I pay my own way,” he growled before storming out of the restaurant.
Sara laughed at the situation. What the hell was she supposed to say? It was the second night in a row that she ended up going home alone and annoyed.
Getting back into the field of dating wasn’t going as she had expected.