“So that’s why you’re all dressed up?”
She nodded. “We were supposed to go to some fancy restaurant for my belated birthday dinner. He came to my apartment to pick me up, and I overheard him talking on his cell to Rachel saying he was going over there after dinner.”
“So you got jealous and canceled?”
“Actually no. I got annoyed at myself. I’ve spent the better part of three years taking whatever scraps I was offered from a man who’s never going to see me as anything more than a friend and neighbor. I deserve better than that.”
I couldn’t agree more. “Damn right you do.”
She sighed. “I need to move on.”
I picked up a shrimp with my sticks and offered it to her. “Shrimp?”
“Okay. But put it in my mouth, or you’ll have a trail of sauce all across your desk by the time I get it in.”
I arched a brow. “I’ll gladly put it in your mouth. Open wide.”
She laughed. “You can turn something so innocent into something dirty.”
“It’s a gift.”
I moved my offering closer, and her beautiful mouth opened so I could feed her. When her lips closed around my sticks, I felt it straight down to my cock. I imagined my own wood sliding in, being swallowed by her perfectly painted lips. The taste of the shrimp hit her tongue, and her eyes closed as she appreciated the deliciousness. At that point, I needed to readjust my pants. Again.
I swallowed, watching her swallow. “When was the last time you actually had sex?”
She coughed, almost choking on a piece of shrimp this time. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me right. Sex. When was the last time you had it?”
“You already know my history. I haven’t had a relationship in almost a year.”
“You meant a sexual relationship? I assumed when you said that, you meant you hadn’t dated anyone consistently in that long.”
“I haven’t.”
“You do know that not all relationships need to be more than sexual?”
“Of course I know that. But I need more than just a one-night stand.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know. Off the top of my head, I need to feel safe with the person. I need to be physically attracted to them. We need to be able to get along after the act, and I need to feel like I’m not being taking advantage of—that our relationship, whatever it is, isn’t one-sided. If it’s purely sex, that’s okay, but we both need to have that understanding.”
I nodded. “Those are all fair.” By that point, I’d pretty much lost my mind. Which would explain how my next thought made its way from my brain and shot right out through my lips. “How do I apply for the job?”
“The job?” She actually seemed confused. I thought I was pretty damn clear.
“Of sexual partner. I think we should have sex.”
Chapter 22
Emerie
“You’re insane.”
“Because I think we should have sex? How does that make me insane?”
“We’re pretty much opposites. You believe a relationship is the period of time people spend together before one screws the other over.”
“So?”
“I believe in love and marriage and making things work.”
“I’m not talking about those things. I’m talking about sex. I know it’s been a while, but that’s when a man and a woman—”
I cut him off. “I know what sex is.”
“Good. Me too. So have it with me.”
“That’s crazy.”
“Do you feel safe with me?”
“Safe? Yes. I guess so. I know you wouldn’t let anything happen to me.”
“Are you physically attracted to me?”
“You clearly know you’re good looking.”
“And if we were both clear on what was going on, you wouldn’t feel like you were being taken advantage of.” Drew tilted his chair back. “I meet all of your criteria.” He winked. “Plus, I have a big bathtub. That’s a bonus. Come to think of it, maybe I should be vetting you better. I’m a catch.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity.
“See. Another bonus. I make you laugh.”
He wasn’t wrong there. Honestly, in the last two weeks, Drew Jagger had stirred a lot of things inside of me that I hadn’t felt in a long time. I bit my lip. My stomach felt like a dryer with a half-empty load of laundry—bouncing around randomly as things heated up. I couldn’t believe I was even considering what he’d suggested.
“How long ago was the last time you were with a woman?”
“The day before I met you.”
“So only a few weeks ago. Were you dating her?”
“No. I met her while I was on vacation in Hawaii.”
“Did you get to know each other before having sex?” I had no idea why I was even asking the question.
Drew set his container down on the table. “She gave me a blowjob in the bathroom less than a half-hour after we met in the restaurant bar.”
I scrunched up my nose.
“Did you want me to lie to you?”
“I guess not. I think I’d have preferred that not to be your answer though.”