I’d done some pretty crazy things in my life, but agreeing to go on a blind date with a complete stranger who my mother had met at some gym had to be the craziest of them all. When she first approached me about the idea, I thought she’d lost her mind. I knew she was worried about me. It had been almost eight months since I’d broken up with David, and since then, I hadn’t been on many dates. After my little experiment with therapy, I decided to be a bit more choosey about the men I went out with and only dated those who I thought I might have something in common with. Mom didn’t understand and started to fret that I might never find my Mr. Right, so she took matters into her own hands.

It was bad enough that my mother wanted to set me up on a blind date, but she only made matters worse when she wouldn’t give me his name or tell me what he looked like. Any time I tried to ask for more information about him, she would try to change the subject. The whole thing frustrated me to death.

“You know what? You’re my mom! I find it pretty irresponsible for you to put me in such an awkward and possibly dangerous situation. I can’t believe you would actually send me to his house. It’s absolutely ridiculous!” I’d finally had enough of her nonsense and refused to go out with him. I thought that was the end of it, but then she brought out the big guns.

“Grace, how about I make a deal with you?”

Oh, good Lord, now what? I thought.

“I promise to leave you alone for the next six months. No more advice, and I’ll even limit my calls to twice a week.” Mom knew she had me as she sat there smiling like the cat that ate the canary.

I couldn’t believe my ears. I was used to her phone calls two or three times a day, dishing out her words of wisdom on everything from the healthiest foods to eat for dinner to my fashion choices of work wear. Hearing that all I had to do was go on some silly date to make it all stop, even if it was just for a little while, tickled me to no end. Don’t get me wrong—I love my mother dearly, but there was no way I could say no, so … hell yeah, I jumped at the chance.

“Fine. But really, Mom, to his place? Can’t we meet at a restaurant or something?”

“I guess you’ll just have to trust me on this one!”

I knew it could turn out bad, really bad, but I would’ve gone through Chinese torture for a small reprieve from my mother’s incessant meddling. “Fine. I’ll go, but I’m holding you to our deal.”

I was almost giddy as I got ready for my date with a mysterious stranger. After a few moments spent enjoying the hot spray of the shower, I grabbed my razor and quickly shaved my legs, but the closer I moved to my upper thigh, it occurred to me that my legs weren’t the only things that needed shaving. I was completely horrified by the ’70s Afro I was sporting. Even though I knew it was highly unlikely that tonight I would be sleeping with some guy my mother had fixed me up with, I decided to tend to a little lady gardening—just to be on the safe side. As I pressed the razor against my skin, I couldn’t make up my mind if I should leave a little in the shape of a triangle or go completely bare. Deciding to just go for it, I wound up battling with two razors and had broken out in a sweat by the time I was done. With a smile on my face, I stepped out of the shower and dried off, then went through the whole hair and make-up routine before getting dressed. I figured I just had to survive the next few hours, then I could sit back and rest easy for the next six months. Before I headed downstairs, I loaded my purse with my largest bottle of mace, a taser, and set 911 to speed dial on my phone. Once I had everything together, I gave myself one last glimpse in the mirror to make sure I looked presentable.

When the taxi pulled up to the address my mother had given me, I was relieved to see that it wasn’t some hole in the wall apartment complex. In fact, it was nice—really nice. My nerves started to kick in as I headed inside the building and onto the elevator. Holding on tightly to my purse as I got off the elevator and walked towards his door, my heart was pounding and every doubt imaginable started creeping over me. I just prayed that my mother had the good sense not to set me up with some psycho-killer. I knocked with apprehension, and my breath quickened when I heard his footsteps coming in my direction.

The minute the door eased open and I saw his gorgeous green eyes staring back at me, my mouth fell as I stood there in shock. He looked just as good as I remembered—only this time he was dressed more casually in a lightweight baby-blue V-neck sweater and dark jeans—and my brain was having a hard time believing that he was my mysterious date. His lips curled into a sexy smile as he said, “Hello, Grace.”

“Dr. Michaels? I … umm … I think I have the wrong address,” I stammered.

“No. This is the right address. I’m pretty sure Rita wrote it down correctly.”

I could feel the heat rush to my face as I blushed with embarrassment. “I can’t believe she did this.”

“Why don’t you come in, and I’ll explain everything.” He motioned me inside. When I hesitated, he teased. “I promise I won’t bite.”

As I walked through the doorway, I asked, “Did she really meet you at the gym or was that—”

“Yes. We really did meet at the gym,” he interrupted me. “In her defense, she had no idea who I was when she approached me.”

“So, she just came up to you and said she had a single daughter who was in desperate need of a date and—”

“No. It wasn’t like that,” he assured me. He walked over to the bar and lifted a bottle of red wine. “Would you like a drink?”

“Oh, yes. A big one, please.”

As he poured the wine, I took a moment to glance around his place. With all the masculine colors and art work, it reminded me a lot of his office—beautiful, yet comfortable. The floors were hardwood with two large leather sofas and a gorgeous tapestry rug. All the furniture was dark cherry, and there was a flat screen TV hanging on the wall with a beautiful fireplace in the center of the room. I had just stepped into the living room to get a better look when he came up next to me. As he offered me the glass of wine, he said, “You look beautiful tonight, Grace.”

“Thanks, Dr. Michaels.”

“Please call me Seth. I’m not your therapist anymore, remember? And it’s been months since that day you came to see me. I think we can put all that behind us now.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.”

“Okay, Seth … Why don’t you tell me about your little run-in with my mother?” I smiled. “Did you know she was my mother from the start?”

“No. I had no idea, otherwise I would’ve asked her about you sooner,” he confessed. “Honestly, I had no idea who she was until she showed me your picture.”

I took a sip of wine. “You have to admit … it’s a pretty odd coincidence.”

“I guess, but it really was just a coincidence.” He walked over to the sofa and asked, “Would you like to sit down for a bit? Dinner won’t be ready for another twenty minutes or so.”

“Sure.” Once we were both settled, he looked over to me and smiled. I was suddenly at a loss for words, so I took another generous sip of wine, hoping that it would help settle my nerves. Several seconds passed with neither of us talking, and I found myself wondering if I’d been wrong about the connection we’d shared in his office. Trying to break the awkward silence, I asked, “So, how are things with you?”

“Pretty good, I guess. I’ve been working a lot. And you?”

“About the same. It seems like I’m always at the office.”

Our conversation was strained at best, and I had no idea how to fix it. I thought all hope was lost until I noticed a mischievous spark flash through his eyes as he said, “I have an idea.”

“Okay?”

“Considering it’s been a while since we’ve seen each other and we’re both obviously nervous about this blind date thing, why don’t we try another one of your speed rounds?”

“The question thing?”

“Yeah. Why not? It might help break the ice.”

He looked so cute sitting there with that hopeful look in his eye and impish smirk on his face. There was no way I could tell him no. “I think that’s a great idea. You go first.”

“Okay. Let’s see … What’s your favorite movie?”

“What kind of movie? Romance? Comedy? Scary?”

“How about romantic comedy?”

“That’s an easy one. Silver Linings.”

“Okay. Favorite song from the ‘90s?”

“Dang. That’s a hard one … I guess I’d have to say Bitter Sweet Symphony, mainly because that’s the only one that’s coming to my head at the moment.”

“That’s the point, right? No thinking. Just answering,” he taunted. After I nodded, he continued, “What was the last gift you gave someone?”

“A Nerf gun.”

A surprised look crossed his face, but he didn’t ask who it was for. Instead, he continued with, “When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?”

“A teacher.”

“Favorite comfort food?”

“When I’m sick or when I’m depressed?”

He cocked his head to the side as he asked, “There’s a different comfort food for each?”

“Absolutely. If I’m sick, I’m all about warm stuff like chicken and dumplings or a hot bowl of soup, but if I’m in a bad mood, I crave junk food. Chips. Chocolate. Ice cream. Anything that’s bad for me.”

“Ah. Gotcha.” He chuckled. “That makes sense. Okay … Spiderman or Batman?”

After taking another sip of wine, I replied, “Batman. No contest.”

“Agreed. What is one thing that truly makes you happy?”

“Puppies.”

His entire body shook as he laughed. “Puppies? That’s all it takes?”

“Well, of course. It doesn’t even matter what kind. They’re all adorable and seeing them makes me happy.”

Before he could interject, a timer went off in the kitchen. He quickly stood up and said, “Hold that thought. I’ll be right back.”

I watched as he hurried out of the room. Seconds later, the entire room filled with the most amazing aroma of garlic and butter. Unable to resist the temptation, I stood up and wandered into the kitchen where I found him standing at the stove. I peered over his shoulder and saw that he’d made us lasagna with garlic bread. “It smells delicious.”

“I hope it tastes as good as it smells.”

After we brought everything over to the table and loaded our plates up, the first forkful had me moaning. “Wow, this is really good. You outdid yourself.”

“Thanks. I can’t take all the credit. I stole the recipe from my mother.”

“And what else did you get from your mother? Your eyes? Your smile?”

“Both. But my mother and father favor one another, so it’s hard to tell at times.”

“What do you like to do during your free time?”

His lips curled into a smile as he asked, “Is this supposed to be my speed round?”

“Yes and no. Just curious.”

“I haven’t had much free time lately but when I do, I like to play golf, go to the beach, or travel.”

“Any particular place you like to go?”

“Not really. I just like to try something different. I never go to the same place twice, unless there’s a special reason. You mentioned you liked the beach too. Is there a particular one you like to go to?”

“You remembered that?”

“I remember everything you told me, Grace. You made quite an impression on me that day.”

“You made an impression on me, too.” I raked my teeth against my bottom lip as I tried to muster the courage to tell him what was on my mind. Remembering that I was trying to go for what I wanted, I finally managed to tell him, “I really hoped I would get to see you again.”

“I did, too. More than you know. I just wasn’t sure how to make it happen. I thought I’d lost my chance until the day your mother showed me your picture. She made me a very happy man that morning.”

“I guess I owe her one.”

“You don’t have to tell her. I’ll keep your secret.” He teased.

We continued talking throughout dinner, and eventually made our way back into the living room where we continued our conversation over another glass of wine and another. Before I realized what was happening, we started another speed round, only this time our questions were a bit more provocative. I blamed my brashness on the wine, otherwise I would’ve never asked, “Where is the strangest place you’ve had sex?”

“Hmmm … A hotel bathroom? You?”

“My ex-boyfriend’s office. Have you ever had a one-night stand?”

“A couple of times when I was younger. Have you ever taken pictures of yourself?”

“Like nudes?”

“Yes,” he answered sounding more than a little intrigued.

“Yes, but I’ll be honest. I’m not very good at it. Actually, I’m really bad at it.” We both laughed, and then I asked, “Do you have a name for it?”

“For what?”

“You know … your manhood.”

His eyes danced with mischief. “Umm … Not exactly, but you can call him anything you like.”

The way he looked at me sent a rush of warmth surging through my entire body. I reached for my wine and took another sip before I said, “I’ll keep that in mind.”

We continued on for several more minutes, and I couldn’t remember a night when I’d had such a good time with anyone. I didn’t want it to end. Unfortunately, it was getting late, really late, and if our questions got any more intimate, I might end up doing something I might regret. “I really had a great time tonight.”

“I hope we can do this again sometime soon.”

As I stood up, I told him, “I would really like that.”

“Hold on a sec. Let me get a taxi for you.” He pulled up his Uber app on his phone and found one just a few minutes away. “There will be one waiting for you when you get downstairs, but I’ll walk you down just in case,” he told me as followed me over to the door.

“Thank you.”

Just before we turned to leave, he asked, “Oh, yeah. Can I have your number?” I nodded and reached into my purse for my business card. He held it in his hand for a moment, then said, “I’ll be calling.”

“I hope so.”

Butterflies danced in my stomach as he leaned towards me; his hand drifted to my hip as he pulled me closer. My pulse raced with anticipation when he pressed his mouth against mine. His lips were soft and warm, and I found myself wanting more. I stepped closer, closing the distance between us as my arms found their way around his neck. The kiss started sweet and tender, but quickly turned hungry and full of need as he delved deeper into my mouth. As we continued to explore the physical side of our new-found relationship, there was no denying that our attraction was palpable. We’d known it from the moment we’d met all those months ago, but after getting to know him, I knew it was more than just a carnal attraction. We were both about to get carried away, when I took a step back, pulling from our embrace. I looked up at him and gasped, “Oh, my.”

“Oh, my is right. Are you sure that you have to go?”

“Yes. I definitely need to go. Like right now.” I smiled.

He opened the door with a smirk. “Okay, if you say so. Let’s go.”

With that, we rushed out the door and headed straight for the elevator. After the elevator doors opened, we both entered and stood on opposite sides from each other. It took all my restraint not to rush back over to him. Seth was everything I dreamed he would be and more. He never took his eyes off me until the doors opened to the lobby. Sure enough, the taxi was outside waiting. Seth opened the back door, but before I could fold myself into the car, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me to him, stealing one last heated kiss.

Breathless, I mumbled, “Thanks for a great night, Seth. I look forward to hearing from you.”

“Goodnight, beautiful.” He warmly smiled. “I’ll definitely talk to you soon.”

As the taxi started down the street, I turned and looked through the back window only to find Seth standing there as he watched me leave. Once he was no longer in sight, I finally let out a breath that I didn’t even know I was holding. I’d never had a man affect me the way Seth Michaels had, and it terrified me to no end. I’d been let down by men in the past, and the fear of Seth being another disappointment made me wonder if this was even worth a try. I wasn’t sure if I could handle it, not with him—not with the man who tempted me like I never thought possible.