Chapter Eight
Tatum looked at the dress in her hand. No way she going to wear to dinner to meet her date. No. Freaking. Way. Holding it out to her friend, she vigorously shook her head. “I am not wearing this Eira.”
“Why not?”
“Would you?”
“No.”
“Then why should I?”
“Because this is the first time you’re going to meet your mate. First impressions are everything.”
“Which is exactly why I’m not putting this atrocious piece of fabric on. Don’t you think I should be myself?”
“Uh, you can be a little…”
“What?! I can be a little what?”
“Harsh.”
“I don’t care what you say. I refuse to be something thing I’m not. I can look good without wearing a dress.”
“Okay fine. Just go get ready please. Adonis is meeting us there with him at The Honey Pot in less than an hour.”
Twenty minutes later Tatum stepped out of the bathroom, clad in a pair of black stretch jeans, an off the shoulder black sweater, and black boots. She glanced down at herself, feeling proud that she didn’t have to compromise her style to be sexy and gave Eira smirk. “See. I don’t need that damn dress.”
Eira laughed. “You sure don’t. You look amazing. That man is gonna fall on his knees at your feet once he sees you. Let’s get going. We shouldn’t be late.”
It wasn’t a long ride to the resort, but every second felt like an eternity. Tatum was never apprehensive about meeting guys before. Hell, she worked with them all day long. The only difference was, this time she was going to be introduced to the man she was supposed to spend the rest of her life with. A nervous heat began to boil in stomach. What if Gerri wasn’t right this time? Sure, she’d brought together hundreds, maybe even thousands of couples together, but what if she was completely wrong now? What if this was Tatum’s only chance to find love and it didn’t work out.
Tatum drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. She needed to relax. She needed to calm down before the anxiety building in her chest took over completely. She couldn’t afford to make a spectacle of herself in front of everyone at dinner. Embarrassing her friends was not an option either. Adonis and Eira have always been so good to her. They were going to be there to support her tonight, so she had to pull herself together and quick because the car was pulling up to the hotel now.
The Honey Pot was located on the top floor of the building and had the most stunning three-hundred-and-sixty-degree mountain view Tatum had ever seen. The dim lighting and soft music playing in the background created the perfect ambiance for a romantic evening. A sense of calmness washed over her as she stood in the entryway of the restaurant. She could do this. She had to do this. Eira had been right when she said Tatum was harsh. She realized that as she thought back to all the times she’d had to put up a wall so she couldn’t get close to anyone. The men she’d dated before didn’t really support her or her career choice. One guy even said it was cute she was trying to be a mechanic because a woman could never do a man’s job. So, she did what any respectable would do in her shoes; she decked him. That thought made her smile and Eira flashed her a questioning glance.
“Why are you smiling?”
“No reason.” Tatum saw Eira wave at Adonis who was standing by a table toward the back of the room. She guessed her date hadn’t arrived yet because she didn’t see anyone else standing with him. As she got closer to the table she could see the back of his head. His black hair and tanned skin peeking out of his plain black shirt were the only things she could see from that distance, but an odd feeling swept over her. It was one of familiarity. She knew him. She could sense it in her gut and when he turned around she froze. Standing in the middle of the room staring at him was not an option. She didn’t know why Jett was there sitting at the table and she couldn’t care less. All she knew was that he’d better leave and soon before her date got there and ruined everything for her. Tatum stomped across the room with Eira waddling behind her as she closed the distance between them.
Jett hadn’t seen her until she was only a few feet away. When he lifted his head to meet her furious gaze, he leaned back in his seat and blew out a defeated breath. “Oh, shit.”
“What the Hell are you doing here?! Adonis, what is he doing here? He’s going to ruin my whole night.”
Jett sat straight up in his chair; an angry glare beginning to form on his face. “Boy, you are completely oblivious, aren’t you? I am your whole night.”
Tatum furrowed her eyebrows. “What? What are you babbling about?”
Jett stood. “I am your date. Apparently, we’ve been set up behind our backs.”
“That can’t be possible. Gerri said I’d be meeting the man I’m supposed to be spending the rest of my life with here tonight.”
Jett held his arms out to the side. “And here I am.”
“You are not my mate.”
“That’s not what Gerri thinks.”
Tatum snatched a butter knife off the table and held it out in front of her. “There will be no happy ever after if I cut your heart out.”
Jett smirked. “With that? Don’t you think that would be kind of difficult to do?”
“Oh, I promise you I can make it happen and it would be quite painful.” Tatum turned Eira, glaring. “And you, I should tell you the gender of those babies just for tricking me into this.”
Eira squinted at her friend. “You wouldn’t dare!”
Adonis yanked the dull knife out of Tatum’s hand as he spoke in a hushed tone. “Why don’t we all just sit down and talk this out.”
“There’s no way I will ever sit and have dinner with him.”
Jett leaned over the table, bunching the linen tablecloth in his fists. “You know what Tatum, I was really excited about meeting my mate tonight, until I saw you walking over here.”
“Jett!” Adonis yelled, placing his hand on Jett’s shoulder.
“No Adonis, let him finish.” Tatum said, holding up her hand.
“I’m not happy about this either.” Jett continued. “You are the last woman I would ever want to be mated with.”
Adonis slumped into the chair behind him, pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. “Oh Jett, no.”
Jett’s statement stabbed Tatum right in the heart. She didn’t know why that hurt her so much, but it did. Really, why should she care what he thought about her? They haven’t gotten along from the second they laid eyes on each other, so why would something he said matter to her. She hated him, didn’t she? If she did then why did she feel like her heart was being squeezed dry by the pain surrounding it? She’d never felt this kind of agony over mere words before. She swallowed hard. “I’m sorry I’m such a disappoint.” Before she could stop the tear from falling, it slid down her heated cheek and she violently brushed it away. “I guess you can call Gerri back and let her know she was wrong about this one. Maybe next time she’ll find you a mate that you’ll be happier with.”
Tatum didn’t give anyone at the table another glance as she turned and made her way out of the restaurant. Deciding not to take the elevator, she opted to take the stairs and blow off a little steam. Maybe some exercise would diminish some of the anger and pain she was feeling. It seemed like a good idea, but she didn’t get far. After descending only a few flights, the tears filling her eyes clouded her vision to a point where she couldn’t see clear enough to continue. So, she just sat on a step and cried.