Authors: Jami Denise
I smirked. “You were thinking about taking me out to dinner?”
“No,” he said, rubbing his fingers over my knuckles. “I realized that I have yet to take you on an actual date. I wouldn’t expect that you’d be willing to marry a man that won’t even wine you and dine you, would you?”
“Are you asking me to marry you, Flynn Maguire?”
His head swung over, and his eyes met mine. “Not tonight. Tonight, I’m rectifying a mistake on my part. You deserve to be treated like a queen. I’ve promised you that I would, and I’ve proven myself a liar.”
I lifted his hand to my lips and kissed his knuckles and then the back of his hand, and finally his wrist. “You treat me just fine, Flynn. A little bossy, but I can handle it. We both know who the boss is around here.”
“I think you’ve owned my balls since the first time I heard your voice.”
“Ahh,” I teased. “Is this how real boys and girls flirt?”
He grabbed my hand, turned it over, and pressed it against the bulge in his pants. “Boy?”
I let my fingers run over him and laughed. “Like I said—all those sweet words, and you end it by having me grab your dick. How romantic.”
“I can’t help that my dick loves you just as much as I do.” His eyes wandered over me as he placed my hand back in my lap. “You make it incredibly difficult to act like a gentleman when you wear dresses like that.”
I looked down at the dress I was wearing and smiled. It was fantastic, and I looked like walking sin. Just putting on a dress like that made me feel alive—pure Jayne.
“You picked it out.”
“I did,” he said, wagging his eyebrows. “You’ve filled out since you were gone. I wanted something to show off your ass.”
The dress cut way down my back, leaving nothing to the imagination. It was a sheer, peach fabric covered in gold and silver beading. All the essentials were covered, but it definitely was a showstopper.
“Is that a nice way of saying I got fat?”
I was teasing. I secretly loved that he’d noticed a change in me. He hadn’t mentioned the new curves, but he’d commented on my hair. It was kind of sweet that he was able to discern the subtle things about me. I liked being looked at, and I really liked the way he saw me.
He made me feel beautiful.
“You’re not fat. You’re ripe. Ready for me to eat.”
My nipples hardened and pressed against the fabric of my dress, and I tried to discreetly squirm in my seat to take off a little pressure. I was already on fire for him, and we hadn’t even started our little rendezvous.
“We’re here,” he said, pulling into the valet of the Monte Carlo. I smiled, knowing exactly where he was taking me.
“Are you taking me to Andre’s? I love Andre’s!”
He pulled into the drive and pulled the cord of his seatbelt, disabling it. “Wait right there.”
I sat tight, getting more and more excited about what the night had in store for us. I hadn’t really taken the date thing that seriously—it wasn’t as if I’d never been on a date—but this was so different. This wasn’t a sham. This was the real deal. A man in love with a woman, taking her to a fine meal, showing her on his arm, and treating her like a queen.
I felt like one. A queen.
His
queen.
I’d never felt more proud to be with someone in my life. There was a new energy between us, both of us trying to establish something solid and complete. Neither of us knew what we were doing, and I think that was the best part. We were fishing through the bullshit, creating a new life. I really couldn’t wait for things to settle down so we could really get into the dirty work and build a future.
Andre’s was one of my favorite restaurants. A small stab of pain hit me as I recalled the numerous times I’d dined there—mostly with my dad. He took me to Andre’s for my birthday every year for as long as I could remember. It was a special place, and although Flynn couldn’t have known the significance, he couldn’t have picked a better place for our first official date.
Holding his arm out for me to take, I slid my hand through the crook of his elbow and latched on, proud as a fucking peacock. The excitement increased as we got closer to the restaurant. I took in my surroundings and basked in the familiarity. I thought about the fact that my birthday was only a few short weeks away, and it would be the second year I would spend it without my annual dinner with my father. As much as it hurt to think about it, I let that simmer. Eventually, the pain would die down, but I was still hurting. Not having the closure I needed would ultimately catch up to me, but I wanted to keep the night for us. New memories to savor would help heal the old.
We were seated in a private dining room, and I shouldn’t have been surprised. The pull he had in that town was astounding. It impressed me even when it shouldn’t have. He wasn’t doing it to show off for me. He was only being Flynn, doing what came naturally, and he was doing his best to show me just how important I was to him.
Instead of sitting across the table from me, he pulled out my chair for me to sit, and then sat down at my side.
“This is cozy,” I purred, nuzzling his arm. “Thank you for bringing me. I was just thinking about the last time I was here.”
He threw his arm around the back of my chair and pulled it closer to him, kissing the top of my head. “Do I want to hear this story?”
I looked up and saw the hesitant look on his face. Reaching up, I ran my palm over the scruff on his cheek and smiled. “Don’t worry. It wasn’t with a date. It was with my father. This was our place.”
He frowned. “I’m sorry, Jayne. I didn’t know. We could go if you’d like.”
“No,” I said quickly. “It’s fine. It was a good memory. I promise.”
I smiled to reassure him, but I could tell he felt badly—for everything. He didn’t exactly have a great opinion of my father, but he needed to know that I loved him, regardless of his shortcomings.
“When I was nine years old, I had my first taste of shrimp and lobster. I’d never had seafood, other than fish sticks, and we’d gone to a party where they had a buffet full of seafood. My dad put it on my plate, and told me to taste it, that I’d need to acquire a taste for the finer things. I tasted it, and I loved it. When he asked me later that year what I wanted for my birthday, I told him I wanted lobster and a really pretty dress. I got both.”
I smiled shyly, suddenly embarrassed by my little confession. It sounded so lame out loud, but there was nothing lame about the way I felt the night my dad and I dined on lobster in the fancy restaurant in my fancy clothes. I felt like a princess, and I never forgot the way it felt. I think I’d been searching for that feeling ever since. It wasn’t long after that night that my father fell into a serious gambling addiction, the affliction that ultimately consumed his life.
Flynn lifted my chin and smiled down on me. “No matter what, Jayne, he loved you. How could he not love you? I’m glad you remember the good.”
I nodded, suddenly feeling a little choked up. I didn’t want to put a damper on the evening, so I smiled even wider and moved out of his grasp to pick up the menu the hostess had laid out for us.
“I don’t think I’ll have the lobster, though. I think I’d like to try something else tonight.”
I studied the menu like it had the meaning of life as I tried to ignore his piercing stare. I wanted to drop it, but he obviously had a different idea.
“Do you remember your mother?”
I dropped the menu and took a deep breath, clenching my eyes shut. “Yes. Of course I do.”
I looked up, and his expression was so open, so genuinely curious. I felt compelled to elaborate.
“She was beautiful. Sweet. I miss her every day.”
He nodded. “She’s the woman in the picture. The one you carry.”
“Yes. That’s her.”
He ran his finger over my face, tracing it, memorizing it. “You look so much like her. Where is she? Do you know?”
“She died. She got sick when I was just a little girl.”
“I’m sorry,” he said again. “I’ve wondered about her, but I was afraid to ask.”
“It’s okay,” I said, shaking my head. “She loved me, and I knew that. I always felt it. I miss her, but it was so long ago that I don’t think about it all the time. I did think about her a lot while I was gone. I went back... well, she’s the reason I went where I went.”
“Oklahoma?” His voice was tense as he gritted the word out, and I could tell that another unpleasant conversation was about to commence.
“Yes. That’s where I was born. She’s still there. I don’t know what I was looking for there, but something was pulling me back. All I felt was more confused.”
“What about the boy?”
I sat back and sighed. “My car broke down, and I sort of found him. Flynn, this isn’t something I feel like talking about on our date. Isn’t this supposed to be romantic?”
He rubbed my hand, and I looked over to see him smiling. “I can’t help it. It eats me up knowing you spent so much time with that guy, and that you had feelings for him. We’ll start fresh tonight, and tomorrow there will be no more secrets.”
“I was very confused, and things just sort of happened. He’s a very good man, so different than anyone I’ve ever met. He’s not sullied by life the way we are. He’s just...
pure
. He just saw me, and that was all he needed. Nothing fancy, no put-ons, no bullshit. It was nice being anonymous, not having my past thrown in my face or judged. I finally realized it wasn’t real, none of it. I was trying so hard to have normal that I created it instead of living it. It might not make sense to you; it’s so hard to explain. I never felt for him the way I do for you.”
“So that’s why you came back?”
I shrugged. “Mostly. I’d tried to break it off with Jackson before Vince showed up, but seeing and talking to Vince just instilled the reality of the situation. I didn’t belong there. It was the wrong place, but exactly what I’d been searching for. Do you know what I mean?”
He nodded. “I do. You want simple. A real life.”
I smiled. “I guess that’s one way to put it. Yes. I want normal. I want to get up in the morning and go to work. I want to come home, to a real home, and have someone there to greet me. Supper at six, ice cream while snuggling on the couch watching the late show, crawling into bed and kisses goodnight, and finally, waking up to morning-breath kisses and pats on the ass as I leave for the day to start all over again.”
His eyes dilated, and a flash of a smile brightened his face. “I love you, you know that?”
I leaned into him, puckering my lips. “So you’ve said.”
He kissed me softly and then wrapped his arms around me, squeezing me tight. “You want that? I’ll give it to you. And more.”
I giggled. I couldn’t help it. “I just can’t imagine that, Flynn. You, Mr. King of the Strip, wearing house slippers and taking out the trash. The images that thought provides...” I giggled harder as he pinched my side.
“I’ll just have to prove it to you, then. You want normal, and that’s what you’ll have.”
Moments later, the waitress came into the room and took our order. I ordered the scallops, and Flynn the filet. He also ordered a bottle of wine, and then dismissed the girl quickly.
“Since we’re airing things out—we haven’t talked about why you hired Pamela, or why you chose to keep that from me. She’s a good friend, Flynn. I don’t want her involved.”
He sighed and let go of my hand. “I needed someone that could get things done. I did my homework. She’s a ball buster.”
“What about Alonzo? He said he’s worked for you for years.”
He chuckled, but it was without humor. “He wants to fuck my woman. I no longer trust him.”
“Jesus,” I groaned, rolling my eyes. “For starters, he
has
fucked me, as in past tense. I’ve known him a long time as well. He’s a good man, and from what I know, he’s also a very good lawyer.”
Shrugging, he turned in his seat to face me. “He’s a great attorney, but like I said, I don’t trust him.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Did something else happen that I should know about?”
“He threatened me. He thought I wasn’t good enough for you.”
“He probably thought he was doing the right thing. Like I said, we’re old friends.”
“Fuck that guy,” he snapped.
“Flynn,” I said. “I hope you didn’t do anything. Seriously. You came off like a maniac that night. He was worried.”
He leaned down so we were face to face and narrowed his eyes. “You walked into my life after disappearing and basically told me to fuck off. I think I had every right to act the way I did. He, on the other hand, has no claim on you. He was a John, and nothing more. I was more. We were more. Fuck. That. Guy. He means shit.”
“Okay,” I said softly. “You’re right. I behaved badly. I’m sorry, and you did have the right to be upset.” Another thought occurred to me. “You didn’t hurt him, did you?”
He moved back and smirked, raising one shoulder in a shrug. “I didn’t. No.”
“Flynn,” I pushed. “No one better have hurt him.”
“Talk to Vince about it.”
“Crap,” I spit. “Now I feel awful. Thanks.”
We were quiet for a moment, and I think he was waiting for me to blow up. I couldn’t, though. I’d pushed him to act out, and I’d hurt him. I was upset and acted irrationally, and looking back, I should have taken a rain check on the dinner with Alonzo. It was childish of me to use him that way, the way I hated being used myself.
“Please promise me that Pamela will be safe. Now that I know we’re all in danger, I don’t want to add her to the mix. She doesn’t deserve it. She’s become very important to me.”
He nodded. “I know. That’s why I hired her. She’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe, so I feel confident putting your life in her hands.”
“Is there any word on your father?”
I had to ask. It was that elusive question we all seemed to constantly tiptoe around. That damn pink elephant was suffocating me.
“He’s in Mexico, or he was. Vince found him.”
That surprised me. “How?”
He raised an eyebrow, as if that was an answer.
“I am still surprised that the two of you have become so close. Vince doesn’t take to people very well.”
“We have common interests.”
“Me?” I asked, already knowing the answer.