wasn’t interested in my photography or my life. He didn’t want to know anything about me. He just didn’t care at all.”
“Wow. That’s insane.”
“I don’t know if it’s because he had so many kids he couldn’t care about all of them, or what. Maybe I have brothers out there, or sisters. But I was raised as an only child, and I’ve always thought of myself that way.”
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“Sorry? Sorry for what?”
“That thing I said at Jake’s dinner party. About being lucky not to have a brother. I didn’t realize…”
“Oh come on. You didn’t realize.”
“Exactly.”
“And now you do.”
Steph pressed her lips together.
“It doesn’t matter. I shouldn’t have said that.”
“You need to be a little easier on yourself,” I said. “It’s okay to make mistakes.”
She let out a puff of air.
“I guess so. After all, neither one of us had great role models, it sounds like.”
“Cheers, then,” I said, lifting my wine glass. “To starting over fresh.”
“To doing better than our parents,” Steph said.
“We sure as hell can’t do worse.”
We both laughed, and the tension in the air dissipated.
There was darkness in both our lives. Hard things to deal with in both our pasts. But somehow, sitting next to her with a bowl of pasta, I didn’t feel like it was all that dark after all. It felt like the sun was coming in through the window for the first time.
We finished up lunch with a slice of chocolate cheesecake I’d gotten from the bakery down the street. I rinsed the dishes off in the sink. Steph leaned over the kitchen counter, her face as angelic as ever.
“You know what turns me on?” she asked, then answered without waiting for a response. “Guys who do the dishes.”
She smiled a quick smile, as though she was testing the waters. I held up a plate and rubbed it seductively with the sponge.
“Is that right?” I said in my most erotic voice.
“Ooh, baby.”
I grinned at her. My cock was aching for her, but at the same time I knew what would happen if I rushed things again. I set the plates and bowls away and gave a short bow. She clapped her hands in mock praise.
“Well, I hate to eat and run but I’ve got to get to work,” I said.
Her face fell.
“Oh.”
“What’s the matter?”
“Nothing. Are you doing a photo shoot?”
I paused. I could tell her the truth - that I was shooting a lingerie ad with a half dozen models. Or I could cover it up. Before I’d met Steph, that kind of decision would be a no-brainer. But now that I was thinking about her more seriously, I didn’t want to lie to her.
“Yes.”
She nodded, a knowing kind of nod, then laughed once.
“Well, I guess that means you’re kicking me out.”
“I didn’t mean that.”
“I don’t understand you, Lucas.”
I clenched my jaw.
“There really isn’t anything to understand. I have to go to work.”
“This is twice now that you’ve kicked me out of your place.”
“That’s not true.”
“It is.” She looked down at her empty glass. “I don’t know if you’re trying to let me down easy because you’re not interested anymore or… or…”
“Wait a minute,” I said. “What on earth gave you the idea that I’m not interested?”
“You did!”
“What? How?”
“By kicking me out. Jesus, Lucas, I was ready to strip down to nothing for you at the end of our date. And you just brushed me off.”
“You were drunk.”
“I knew what I was doing.”
“I didn’t.”
“Excuse me, but what the hell, Lucas?”
I blinked. Of all of the reactions I’d expected, this wasn’t one of them.
“What?”
She threw her hands up in the air.
“It’s impossible to understand you! The first time you met me, you leaned over the counter with that sexy glare of yours and told me you wanted to tame me. And now you’re playing hard to get, like you’re some kind of asexual Catholic schoolboy. Is this just a game to you?”
The shock that came
“Wow. That’s insane.”
“I don’t know if it’s because he had so many kids he couldn’t care about all of them, or what. Maybe I have brothers out there, or sisters. But I was raised as an only child, and I’ve always thought of myself that way.”
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“Sorry? Sorry for what?”
“That thing I said at Jake’s dinner party. About being lucky not to have a brother. I didn’t realize…”
“Oh come on. You didn’t realize.”
“Exactly.”
“And now you do.”
Steph pressed her lips together.
“It doesn’t matter. I shouldn’t have said that.”
“You need to be a little easier on yourself,” I said. “It’s okay to make mistakes.”
She let out a puff of air.
“I guess so. After all, neither one of us had great role models, it sounds like.”
“Cheers, then,” I said, lifting my wine glass. “To starting over fresh.”
“To doing better than our parents,” Steph said.
“We sure as hell can’t do worse.”
We both laughed, and the tension in the air dissipated.
There was darkness in both our lives. Hard things to deal with in both our pasts. But somehow, sitting next to her with a bowl of pasta, I didn’t feel like it was all that dark after all. It felt like the sun was coming in through the window for the first time.
We finished up lunch with a slice of chocolate cheesecake I’d gotten from the bakery down the street. I rinsed the dishes off in the sink. Steph leaned over the kitchen counter, her face as angelic as ever.
“You know what turns me on?” she asked, then answered without waiting for a response. “Guys who do the dishes.”
She smiled a quick smile, as though she was testing the waters. I held up a plate and rubbed it seductively with the sponge.
“Is that right?” I said in my most erotic voice.
“Ooh, baby.”
I grinned at her. My cock was aching for her, but at the same time I knew what would happen if I rushed things again. I set the plates and bowls away and gave a short bow. She clapped her hands in mock praise.
“Well, I hate to eat and run but I’ve got to get to work,” I said.
Her face fell.
“Oh.”
“What’s the matter?”
“Nothing. Are you doing a photo shoot?”
I paused. I could tell her the truth - that I was shooting a lingerie ad with a half dozen models. Or I could cover it up. Before I’d met Steph, that kind of decision would be a no-brainer. But now that I was thinking about her more seriously, I didn’t want to lie to her.
“Yes.”
She nodded, a knowing kind of nod, then laughed once.
“Well, I guess that means you’re kicking me out.”
“I didn’t mean that.”
“I don’t understand you, Lucas.”
I clenched my jaw.
“There really isn’t anything to understand. I have to go to work.”
“This is twice now that you’ve kicked me out of your place.”
“That’s not true.”
“It is.” She looked down at her empty glass. “I don’t know if you’re trying to let me down easy because you’re not interested anymore or… or…”
“Wait a minute,” I said. “What on earth gave you the idea that I’m not interested?”
“You did!”
“What? How?”
“By kicking me out. Jesus, Lucas, I was ready to strip down to nothing for you at the end of our date. And you just brushed me off.”
“You were drunk.”
“I knew what I was doing.”
“I didn’t.”
“Excuse me, but what the hell, Lucas?”
I blinked. Of all of the reactions I’d expected, this wasn’t one of them.
“What?”
She threw her hands up in the air.
“It’s impossible to understand you! The first time you met me, you leaned over the counter with that sexy glare of yours and told me you wanted to tame me. And now you’re playing hard to get, like you’re some kind of asexual Catholic schoolboy. Is this just a game to you?”
The shock that came
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