expected you to act a
certain way?”
“True, but
that’s different.”
“Not all of us
stick to the old ways, Emma. We’re not even close to the Amish. The
younger generation has grown up with new views and dreams. My
sister’s studying nursing in San Francisco, for instance.”
“Oh, well.
That’s really good. Sometimes I wish I had gone into a different
field. But Cross Enterprises is all I’ve ever known.”
“Do you not
like your job?”
“I love the
company. I love what my family does, and solving puzzles and
mysteries and helping out others. But I don’t like breaking the
news to women of their cheating husbands every single day.”
“So, from what
I gather, I’m your guinea pig, then?”
She laughed. I
loved that sound, and right then and there decided it was one of my
favorite sounds in the world. “If I wanted you as my guinea pig,
Cowboy, I can guarantee you we’d be doing something else.”
I leaned
forward and lowered my voice. “What would we be doing, Emma?”
“You
know.”
“Tell me.”
“You’d be on
top of me, or I’d be on top of you, testing out my riding
skills.”
“Have you been
dared by Grace tonight?” I asked.
“No, but I
have had a bit too much wine. It’s been a wonderful evening, Eric.
Thank you. And please excuse my bluntness. I’m not a big
drinker.”
Did she even
know how polite she was? She was more of a country girl than she
realized, but with a twist.
“Again, I’m
sorry to bore you with my story. This was supposed to be a personal
dinner, not business.”
“As much as my
brothers would frown upon this, I believe that there’s nothing
wrong with mixing a little bit of business with pleasure.”
“Emma, please
tell me you weren’t the reason one of your clients found out about
her cheating husband.”
“I can go for
some extravagant dares and crazy stunts, but I would never break up
a marriage or any kind of a relationship.”
“It looks like
you’re the kind of a woman who needs an outlet because she hasn’t
had a man who can give her exactly what she needs.”
“And what do
you think it is that I need?”
“You need a
man who will give you his soul, cherish you like you’re the only
woman in the world, and pleasure you senseless.”
Her mouth
opened by a fraction and her breaths grew shallow. “How would you
pleasure me?” she asked, her confidence like that of a purring cat
anticipating a petting. And just how much I wanted to pet her
surged beyond my previous expectations.
“Some things
are meant to be shown, Emma, not told. So unless you’re ready for
me to show you right now, we should end this conversation.”
If she teased
me or taunted me another minute, I wouldn’t be held responsible for
taking her. I’d find a nook, a closet, a car, or even a bathroom
just to have her.
She thought
about what I’d said for a moment, and thankfully changed the topic.
“So, does this dinner come with dessert?”
Not the kind I
have in mind.
“Pick for me.
I want to see if you can guess what I like.”
I thought
about it for a moment before waving over the waitress and
whispering in her ear.
“What did you
choose?”
“You’ll
see.”
The grin on
her face was priceless. And when the crispy home-made apple pie
with a scoop of coffee ice cream at its side was brought to our
table, with two spoons, I knew I’d gotten it right. Emma dug into
it within seconds.
“How did you
know?” She said with her mouth half-full. “I mean, why not
chocolate mousse or crème brûlée? And why coffee ice cream, and not
vanilla?”
“Because you’d
likely had those thousands of times. How often do you get to eat a
home-baked pie? And coffee ice cream to bring that familiar taste
you probably have each morning. The country and city blend
perfectly together, don’t you think?”
“Yes, they
certainly do.”
If I’d known
that was the smile I’d get from Emma, I would have started our
evening with dessert. Driving her home was
certain way?”
“True, but
that’s different.”
“Not all of us
stick to the old ways, Emma. We’re not even close to the Amish. The
younger generation has grown up with new views and dreams. My
sister’s studying nursing in San Francisco, for instance.”
“Oh, well.
That’s really good. Sometimes I wish I had gone into a different
field. But Cross Enterprises is all I’ve ever known.”
“Do you not
like your job?”
“I love the
company. I love what my family does, and solving puzzles and
mysteries and helping out others. But I don’t like breaking the
news to women of their cheating husbands every single day.”
“So, from what
I gather, I’m your guinea pig, then?”
She laughed. I
loved that sound, and right then and there decided it was one of my
favorite sounds in the world. “If I wanted you as my guinea pig,
Cowboy, I can guarantee you we’d be doing something else.”
I leaned
forward and lowered my voice. “What would we be doing, Emma?”
“You
know.”
“Tell me.”
“You’d be on
top of me, or I’d be on top of you, testing out my riding
skills.”
“Have you been
dared by Grace tonight?” I asked.
“No, but I
have had a bit too much wine. It’s been a wonderful evening, Eric.
Thank you. And please excuse my bluntness. I’m not a big
drinker.”
Did she even
know how polite she was? She was more of a country girl than she
realized, but with a twist.
“Again, I’m
sorry to bore you with my story. This was supposed to be a personal
dinner, not business.”
“As much as my
brothers would frown upon this, I believe that there’s nothing
wrong with mixing a little bit of business with pleasure.”
“Emma, please
tell me you weren’t the reason one of your clients found out about
her cheating husband.”
“I can go for
some extravagant dares and crazy stunts, but I would never break up
a marriage or any kind of a relationship.”
“It looks like
you’re the kind of a woman who needs an outlet because she hasn’t
had a man who can give her exactly what she needs.”
“And what do
you think it is that I need?”
“You need a
man who will give you his soul, cherish you like you’re the only
woman in the world, and pleasure you senseless.”
Her mouth
opened by a fraction and her breaths grew shallow. “How would you
pleasure me?” she asked, her confidence like that of a purring cat
anticipating a petting. And just how much I wanted to pet her
surged beyond my previous expectations.
“Some things
are meant to be shown, Emma, not told. So unless you’re ready for
me to show you right now, we should end this conversation.”
If she teased
me or taunted me another minute, I wouldn’t be held responsible for
taking her. I’d find a nook, a closet, a car, or even a bathroom
just to have her.
She thought
about what I’d said for a moment, and thankfully changed the topic.
“So, does this dinner come with dessert?”
Not the kind I
have in mind.
“Pick for me.
I want to see if you can guess what I like.”
I thought
about it for a moment before waving over the waitress and
whispering in her ear.
“What did you
choose?”
“You’ll
see.”
The grin on
her face was priceless. And when the crispy home-made apple pie
with a scoop of coffee ice cream at its side was brought to our
table, with two spoons, I knew I’d gotten it right. Emma dug into
it within seconds.
“How did you
know?” She said with her mouth half-full. “I mean, why not
chocolate mousse or crème brûlée? And why coffee ice cream, and not
vanilla?”
“Because you’d
likely had those thousands of times. How often do you get to eat a
home-baked pie? And coffee ice cream to bring that familiar taste
you probably have each morning. The country and city blend
perfectly together, don’t you think?”
“Yes, they
certainly do.”
If I’d known
that was the smile I’d get from Emma, I would have started our
evening with dessert. Driving her home was
Similar Books
