chapter 16
Scarlett
I’LL NEVER ADMIT IT, but after he leaves and I clean up, I do keep watching the video. And I watch one on how to give good head, and I mentally remember exactly what to do.
I’m going to blow him away.
Literally.
I’m going on a date with him tomorrow night, and I’m so happy I can hardly contain myself. What should I wear? I haven’t been on a date in years. Darren stopped taking me out when he started doing drugs. I don’t know how he got into them, but eventually he became addicted to meth, which is when the abuse really began. He changed into a person I didn’t know anymore. I push thoughts of Darren out of my head and concentrate on the present.
On Jaxon.
Will he kiss me tomorrow night?
I touch my lips and wonder what his lips will be like. I don’t mean to sound ridiculous, but the word magical keeps popping into my head.
I know his kiss is going to make me weak.
“YOU LOOK BEAUTIFUL” IS the first thing he says to me.
He thinks I’m beautiful.
I smile.
“You’re early” is the first thing I say back. I then add a “thank you,” to not sound so rude.
“I know,” he says, eyeing my black dress, from top to bottom. “Perhaps I wanted to catch you off guard.”
I roll my eyes and smile at the same time. “Come on in. I just need to finish doing my makeup.”
“You don’t need any makeup,” he says, taking my chin between his fingers and gently turning my head from side to side. “Perfect as you are.”
“I know I don’t need it, but I want it,” I say, cringing when I realize how that sounded. “I haven’t been on a date in a long time, so I want to look pretty for it, and put in a little more effort than usual.”
He runs his thumb across my lower lip. The man is clearly trying to kill me.
“Take your time. We’re in no rush,” he says, winking at me. “I’ll just answer some work emails while I’m waiting.”
He sits on the couch and pulls out his phone.
“Can I get you something to drink?”
“Nope, I’m good,” he says, waving me off. “Don’t worry about me.”
Not possible.
I rush back to my room and finish with my makeup, then grab my bag and put on my heels. When I walk out to meet him, he stands up and gives me another once-over. “I take that back. You’re more than beautiful tonight, Scarlett. You look absolutely stunning.”
Darren never gave me his attention like this, never complimented me. He never bothered trying to make me feel special at all. If anything, he would’ve criticized something about my outfit, or would have told me I need to cover up more because I looked like a whore.
But Jaxon, he looks like he means it. Every kind word.
I duck my head, not used to hearing compliments, feeling the heat hit my cheeks. “Thank you. You look pretty amazing yourself.”
He offers me his hand, and, without question, I take it.
For someone like me who has been through what I have, that one action is everything.
We walk to his BMW and he opens the door for me like he always does, then closes it once I’m in safely.
I personally think every woman needs a man like Jaxon, because it feels so good to be treated like I’m worth something. It’s indescribable. I don’t know if other women are just used to it so they take it for granted, but I know that I never will. I know what it’s like to be on the other end, and I think it’s just going to make me appreciate all the good things life has to offer even more.
“You never told me what restaurant we’re going to,” I say, glancing at him, feeling a mixture of excited and nervous. “What type of food do they have? Or what movie are we seeing?”
“We’re going to see whatever you want to see. There are about five that start at the same time. And for dinner I’m taking you to my favorite Italian restaurant,” he explains, reaching over and gently holding my hand as he drives. I’m not used to this casual affection, so I never thought I needed it. But Jaxon is showing me that there is so much that I want and need. “You don’t like surprises, do you?”
“I liked when you surprised me with the flowers, so maybe I do,” I say, smiling at him. “I’m just curious, that’s all. And excited.”
“Good,” he murmurs. “How was your day?”
“It was good. I did a little shopping, then did more work in the garden. How was yours?” I ask him back. I know he’s probably not allowed to talk much about his cases or anything like that, and I wouldn’t expect him to.
“Not bad. Got two new cases. Should keep me busy.”
“Do you ever take time off and go on vacation or anything?” I ask, wondering if his life is just his job. He’s clearly a workaholic, and I don’t know what he does in his free time to relax.
“Not recently,” he tells me. “The firm has been busy, and they’ve needed me there.”
I wonder if that’s true, or if it’s him who needs them. I don’t think he likes being idle; he’s always on the go, always working.
“What do you do when you’re not working?” I ask. He’s never mentioned any family or friends. Maybe he doesn’t have any, like me, or maybe they live somewhere else.
“Go to the gym, take care of things at home,” he says, glancing at me. “Normally I’d hang out with friends, but we’ve all been busy lately, so I’ve kind of just been going between work, the gym, and home.”
“What about your family?” I ask, eyes on his profile. I hope he doesn’t think I’m being too nosy, I just want to get to know him. Everything about him.
“My parents live about four hours away,” he explains, parking the car. He turns to me with a cheeky grin on his handsome face, and says, “Stay here, I’ll be right back.”
“What? Where are you going?” I ask, as he gets out of the car. I look at the place we’ve parked in front of, and it’s a bar called Knox’s Tavern. What exactly are we doing here? It’s not like he’s going to have a drink while I’m in the car. Curiosity getting the best of me, I decide to not listen to him and get out of the car. I walk to the front of the bar and pull on the push door.
“Crap,” I mutter to myself, pushing the door, hoping no one saw that, and walking inside. I glance around, taking the place in. There’s a live band playing, and the bar has a nice atmosphere.
“Thought I told you to stay in the car?” Jaxon says as he approaches me.
“And I didn’t want to,” I reply, lifting my chin.
He simply smirks and takes my hand. “I just needed to pick something up, and now we can go.”
“What did you pick up?” I ask, looking at his hands, which are empty.
“You don’t make it easy to surprise you with something, do you?” he asks, shaking his head. “Do you want to have a drink while we’re here?”
I nod. “This place is great.”
It’s quite busy, with a nice atmosphere. The bar and all the table and chairs are made out of a dark wood, and they have circle lantern lights hanging above the tables.
“It is,” he agrees, pulling out one of the barstools for me to sit on. “What would you like to drink?”
“Is there a cocktail menu?” I ask the handsome blond man at the bar.
“Of course,” he says with a smile, grabbing one and sliding it over the counter to me. He then turns to Jaxon and gives him a smirk. “How did you manage to get her?”
“Always a pleasure, Ryan,” Jaxon says in a dry tone. I can tell the two of them are cool with each other though, because there’s no tension between them.
I scan the list, trying hard to choose from their large selection. “I’ll have a Bloody Mary, please.”
Ryan smiles at me and nods. “Awesome. And for you?” he asks Jaxon.
“I’ll just grab a beer. The usual,” he says, pulling his wallet out and placing some money on the table.
The usual? Just how often does he come here? And let’s not forget the reason why he came in here in the first place. What did he want to pick up? I don’t want to be nosy, but he said he was trying to surprise me, and now I really want to know what it is.
“Will you let me pay for dinner?” I ask him, pressing my pink lips together. “You always pay, and for once I want to.”
“No,” he says, softening it with a gentle smile. “You won’t be paying for anything when I’m around, so you should probably get used to it.”
My eyes narrow. “How is that fair? This is the modern world, Jaxon. It’s not like I’m stingy or don’t want to spend my money.”
He cups my face with his warm hand. “I never said you were. I just like treating you. It’s how I am and how I’ve always been. I remember when I was a young boy, my mom would take me out on a little mini date, and I’d open doors for her, pull out her chair, and then pay for the meal with my pocket money. Instead of arguing with me, why don’t you just enjoy it?”
“Because it’s ridiculous,” I state, smiling as Ryan places my drink in front of me. “Thank you.”
“No problem. Besides, don’t forget you’re going to be getting a very steep legal bill in the mail soon,” he says, flashing me a wink.
“Worth every penny,” I say as I give him a wink. “What do you think about the man always paying?” I ask Ryan as he gives Jaxon his beer. “Don’t you think the woman should pay sometimes too?”
“No,” he says, smirking. “Sorry, darling, I’m with the lawyer this time. I like to look after my woman too. She doesn’t even need to bring her purse if I’m there, and we’re married, so my money is hers and vice versa.”
I sigh and bring the glass to my lips, taking a sip. They’re all Neanderthals. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s sweet and chivalrous, and I do think the man should pay on a first date, but after that I don’t mind paying, or us taking turns. I don’t expect a man to pay for everything, and I have my own money, so it makes no sense. I’m here with him because I want to be, because I want to spend time with him, and that’s all he needs to give me. “It’s delicious, thank you,” I tell Ryan, who watches me try it.
“You’re welcome,” he says, smiling and then moving to serve another customer.
I turn to look at Jaxon, whose eyes are already on me, watching me sip my cocktail.
Time to get to the bottom of whatever he’s up to.