It’s mid-afternoon. I’ve spent all morning and now into the afternoon studying. I’ve gotten a lot accomplished. But I’d get even more accomplished if I focused entirely on what I’m doing.

You know who I’ve been thinking about ever since I got up this morning. I can’t stop stressing over Korbin asking me to meet him at Oak Tree tonight. My instincts tell me I should stop thinking about this guy, put him out of my brain, and move on, but it’s not working out that way.

My relationship with Zach is over, and I have no business going out on a date with a new guy so fast after dumping the old one. Not to mention the fact that this Korbin character is a hot head and probably nothing but trouble, no matter how nice he sounded on the phone.

God, I wish he wasn’t so damn cute. What is it about handsome guys and me? That’s all I seem to be attracted to. Zach is hot, and I probably allowed his good looks to hide the parts of him I should have paid attention to. Maybe there were signs that he would end up cheating on me? Maybe I just didn’t notice because I was too distracted by his good looks.

And now this Korbin comes along, a man who is even more handsome than Zach, and it’s like I’m really throwing caution to the wind. I need to stop this. Give it a break. Meet a guy that not only has his shit together but who also will be faithful to me. I don’t know if Korbin’s the cheating type even though he says he’s not. But I definitely know he doesn’t have his life in order. How could he? I saw what a hot head he was. Nobody who has his or her life together would do something like what he did to Zach.

I’m going to finish my studying, put Korbin out of my mind, and get on with my life.

* * *

Well, the good news is my studying is complete, and I’m feeling pretty good about what I know. I have a test coming up, and I feel confident that I’m ready for it. The bad news is, Korbin is still on my mind. I can’t shake it. It’s gotten so bad that my mind even went to wondering what it would be like to sleep with the guy. Geez, why does sex always have to enter my brain? I know the answer to that question. It’s because there’s nothing better than great sex with a hot guy. I mean, it’s the ultimate.

What am I going to do here? I think I’m going to have to meet Korbin at Oak Tree. If I don’t, I’ll always wonder if I missed an opportunity that could turn out to be a good one. Look, if the guy acts like a jerk during dinner, I’ll just go home. We’re meeting at a neutral place, and I can get up and leave anytime I want.

It’s 3:00 p.m. now. I better decide what I want to wear and how I want to wear my hair. Oak Tree is a nice restaurant. Plus, I want to look good while I’m with this guy. He’s so gorgeous that he doesn’t have to do much to look good. Me? I need to put some effort into it.

* * *

My Uber drops me off at Oak Tree at around 7:50 p.m. Korbin told me to meet him at 8:00 p.m. Hopefully, he’s already in the restaurant even though I’m early. If not, I’ll wait for him until around fifteen minutes after eight. If he doesn’t show up, I’ll leave. Easy, peasy.

I enter the big wooden doors of Oak Tree. This place looks more like a private club than a restaurant for the public. The lighting is dimmed and soft music plays in the background. Almost all of the tables are full. Oak Tree is pretty popular in Chicago. I walk up to the hostess.

“Hi,” I say. “I’m meeting someone. May I check to see if he’s here?”

“Sure, I just sat a gentleman over at that corner table.” She points. “Is that him?”

I look in that direction. It’s Korbin, sitting there looking at the menu.

“Yes, it’s him. Thank you.”

I walk over to the table. Korbin sees me and smiles.  He’s wearing a burgundy dress shirt that looks really good on him.  He stands, walks over to the other side of the table and pulls out the chair.  The way he’s acting now, you’d never know he’s a violent man who can knock guys to the ground.  And the way he’s looking at me now is not helping my guard either.  It’s like he’s undressing me with his eyes. He’s so hot; I can’t say I don’t like it.

“Hi, Callie, you look lovely tonight.”

I wore my hair down, and I’m wearing a little black dress. I’m not a full-figured girl. My breasts and hips are small, but I have a nice body, and my dress hugs me in all the right places.

“Thanks, Korbin. I love that shirt on you.” I take a seat in the chair.

“Thank you; I picked it out myself.” He winks and returns to his chair. “I’m glad you showed up.”

“Well, I’m not going to turn down a free dinner.” I grin at him and take a sip of the water that’s in front of me. “What you did to Zach was horrible, you know that, right?”

“Hey, I’m sorry I hit him. But he shouldn’t have bet me money and then give me a hard time about paying it. Maybe he should stop betting on pool games. Excuse me for saying it, but the guy’s not that good.”

I try not to smile. Korbin is right about Zach’s pool playing abilities. “I know. But you still shouldn’t have hit him. What is your community service?”

“Sweeping the streets and sidewalks. I’m cool with that. I don’t mind the work.”

“Well, thank you for asking me to dinner. But, I don’t go out with hot heads.”

Korbin laughs. “Is that what you think I am?”

“Aren’t you?”

The waitress comes by, introduces herself and takes our drink and appetizer orders. While she’s doing it, I try to drink more of my water instead of staring at Zach’s face.

“You need more than community service,” I say to Korbin after the waitress leaves. “You need help.”

Korbin laughs again. “You think you know me that well, huh?”

He’s laughing at me, but I don’t stop. “Anyone in that bar could see that you need help. Plus, don’t forget what I learned in court. You have a history.”

The waitress returns with the wine and sets the glasses on the table.  The entire time Korbin is facing me with the expression he had when I walked in - undressing me with his eyes.  It’s tripping me up.

“Would you like to order now?” The waitress says.

“Not right now,” Korbin says before I can say anything. When the waitress leaves, Korbin grabs his wine glass. “Let’s have a toast.”

“What exactly are we going to toast about? You getting off with just community service?”

Korbin grins. “You know if you keep talking like that you’re not going to get me into bed.”

My mouth falls open. “What?” I can’t believe he just said that. “Who says I would ever go to bed with you?”

“Why not? You’re not with Zach anymore.”

“So what if I’m not with Zach anymore! That doesn’t mean I’m going to go to bed with you!”

“We’ll see how the night goes.” Korbin looks at his menu again, looking way too sure of himself.

I pick up my menu. “Don’t count on it.”