Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 78149 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78149 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
“Night, Derek.” Jerome waved as he walked out with Pierre.
Pierre didn’t say anything to me.
Emerson stared at my face until she heard the door shut behind her. “Everything alright?”
I closed up my notebook and laptop. “Yes.”
She gave me a slightly incredulous look, as if she didn’t believe me but wouldn’t press me on it.
I didn’t give a fuck about Pierre right now. All I cared about was the woman in front of me, the woman I could finally have now that the workday was over. “Ready?”
She nodded. “Not to make it weird, but I can’t change before our date. Otherwise, my mom and Lizzie will ask questions, and I don’t want to lie.”
“Why would you want to change?” I’d been staring at her all day, my hands aching to pull up her dress and grip that ass while I kissed her so hard on the mouth that her lips would be swollen for a week. “You look hot.”
A hesitant smile moved onto her lips, along with a dash of embarrassment in her eyes. Her cheeks even reddened, like the compliment made her neck warm. Her humility was cute since she was a goddamn bombshell. I was used to women who were hot and knew they were hot, but her modesty was refreshing. She was more than just a beautiful woman, so she had more qualities for people to notice.
I noticed them all.
“Let’s go now.” I packed my things in my satchel, and we left together. After we got into the Escalade, Ronnie drove us back to the city through the tunnel. “What are you in the mood for?”
“Anything.”
“How about burgers?”
She grinned. “I mean, I won’t say no to that, but I don’t want to be too bloated…”
She could be as bloated as possible, and it wouldn’t change a damn thing. “Burgers, it is.”
Ronnie dropped us off at the curb of the restaurant I’d chosen, and we walked inside. After being shown to a table, I sat across from her. Drinks were ordered, and since it was more of a casual place, we also ordered our food.
Now that it was October, the sun set much quicker than it used to, so it was almost dark already. The lights from the lamp overhead brought out the color of her blue eyes, her beautiful skin with a perfect complexion. She wasn’t her usual confident self. Constantly shifting in her seat, she seemed like she had an itch that she couldn’t scratch.
It was hard to believe I was on a date with this woman, after all the stories I’d written about her, all the women I’d rejected because they weren’t Emerson. But it also felt right, like we should have done this a long time ago.
I drank my beer and stared at her, my ordinarily steady heart rate all over the place because I was anxious, anxious to get back to the penthouse and finally have the woman I’d fantasized about. I was eager because my dry spell had been months at this point, so I wanted to get laid, and I really wanted to get laid by her.
She continued to fidget in her chair, drinking her beer then touching her hair. She used to hold my gaze with sheer confidence, but now her eyes flicked around, like the intensity was too much since this was an actual date…and it was leading in one distinct direction.
The date almost felt unnecessary because I’d already spent the last four months getting to know her. But last night hadn’t felt like the right time to make my move. It seemed rushed, and since she had a daughter, I knew she needed to plan ahead if she was going to be occupied overnight. And I really didn’t want to have her then watch her leave right afterward. That would feel cheap.
The waitress brought the food. “Anything else I can—”
“Actually, can we have this to-go? And the check too?”
My eyes widened at Emerson’s request.
“Yeah, sure.” The waitress didn’t have a chance to put the food down before she walked away again.
“Do you have cash?” Emerson asked.
Now, my body was fully alive, even more eager than before, because her overwhelming enthusiasm was so sexy. “Yeah.” I pulled out my wallet and put a few bills on the table.
When the waitress came back with the food, Emerson got to her feet and snatched that bag so fast. “Sorry, something came up.”
Fifteen
Emerson
I didn’t know what came over me.
But I’d waited months for this man, and I wasn’t going to wait a moment longer. I didn’t give a damn about the food because I wasn’t even hungry, and the date in general felt pointless because I knew him better than anyone—and he knew me too.
The food was left on the dining table, and I walked to his bedroom because I wanted to feel his sheets against my bare skin, wanted to take my time, wanted to slow everything down and enjoy him fully.