Chapter 2 – Scott
“So have you thought about my offer?”
“What, the offer to buy me?”
“I’m not trying to buy you, Jesse. I don’t think you’re the type that could be bought. What I want to do is help you, and you were the one who seemed to want the deal sweetened. All I could think about was a date. Cook for me and pretend that you like me for a couple of hours. What could be wrong with that?”
She seemed to think that there were a lot of things wrong with that. But although I was ready to give her what she wanted, what she needed, I wanted something in return. It was the business side of me that thought a good deal was where both sides came out happy.
“What do you expect?”
I tried to look offended, but I didn’t blame her for thinking that way. If I could have gotten away with it and I thought she would have gone for it, there was a side of me that would have had no problem asking for more. But she wasn’t that type of girl, I knew that.
“I just want a date. Like I said, I’ll come over here and you can make me something for dinner. We’ll have a few drinks and that will be it. Nothing will happen that you don’t want to happen.”
She was about to say something and she stopped. What I would have given to have heard what was going on in Jesse’s mind. She was always so full of thoughts, but she wasn’t the type to share them. I was really starting to think that she wasn’t going to go for my offer. Was it really that bad of an idea for her to be with me? She acted like it was the worst thing in the world, and I had to admit that it wasn’t doing anything for my ego. Jesse never was good for an ego stroke.
“Fine, Scott, I’ll give you your date, but that’s it. If you think that there’s going to be anything extra, don’t waste your time. That’s all it’s going to be: just a date.”
“Okay, I can see that you’re not going to budge. All I want is a date from you, Jesse. I’m not the kind of man who has to beg.”
“I know. I just don’t really know why you keep messing with me. I’m sure that it isn’t hard for you to find a girl to go on a date with.”
“None of them are you, though. I don’t know what you’ve done to me, Jesse, but you’re all I can think about. It’s like you’ve put some kind of voodoo on me.”
She laughed, and the sound was like a dream. “Not hardly. If I had that kind of magic, I don’t think that I would still be single at my age.”
“You’re not that old. Mid-twenties?”
She nodded and told me that I was close. I wasn’t going to ask her precise age. It really didn’t matter. With a face like that and the way she cooked, it just didn’t matter at all. Nothing really mattered, now that she was going to say yes. I had to think of a way to sweep her off her feet so that she would never want anyone else. I had one date to make her fall for me. Before I wouldn’t have thought that it would be a hard task, but Jesse was different, and that wasn’t always a good thing. If she’d been like all of the rest, I would have already had her in my bed days ago.
***
We had agreed to a date and had agreed to a place, but I wasn’t sure if Jesse was ready for me to come down the same night. When Jesse had asked me when, I could only think of the closest possible time. I wanted her to want it soon as well, but she didn’t. Jesse was more worried about getting things ready. I knew that part of it was just who she was. There was also the question of the loan, but I’d had the bank manager deliver a copy for her to sign before the end of the business day. I hadn’t left any i’s un-dotted or t’s uncrossed. Everything was in place, but when I knocked on the bistro’s door later in the evening, Jesse was not as prepared as I was.
When she finally got downstairs to answer the door, I could tell that she wasn’t ready for me. Jesse was too polite to say anything, but I had a feeling that if she’d been raised differently she would have told me to bug off. I just wanted to see her, so I pretended like I didn’t spot the obvious. I wanted to pretend that she was happy to see me. It was easier on my ego.
“You look beautiful.” Jesse wasn’t even really dressed for dinner, but she still looked the way I described. There was nothing that she could put on that would diminish her beauty. When she realized what she was wearing, though, she got a look of horror on her face and ran back up the stairs without saying a word.
I couldn’t stop the chuckle that came to my lips. I was forced to follow her and the smell that was coming from her apartment. Jesse was never what I expected, and this date was going to be no different. I liked that she was so nervous to see me, but at the same time I wanted her to relax. How was I going to get to know the real her if she was running around like a chicken with its head cut off?
“Jesse, whatever you wear is fine, really.”
“No, I didn’t realize that I hadn’t changed yet. It’s been a crazy day and I just got finished with writing out a bunch of checks. Thanks for that, by the way.”
She’d popped her head out from the bedroom, and I could see bare shoulders. The sight made me want to move closer to her, but she was not having it. She giggled fetchingly when she stopped me with her hand.
“I’m not dressed yet. I just thought I should remember to tell you thanks before the date started.”
“It hasn’t started yet?”
“Nope, it doesn’t start until dinner is on the table. You’re just early, like always.”
“You know what they say about the early bird…”
“Yeah, too bad I’m not a worm. Now stay out there and be good.”
I wanted to promise her that I would be good. I would be so good that she would never forget me and never be able to deny me again. I wanted to make it where she thought about me as much as I thought about her. It was a shame that I couldn’t get her off of my mind, but it was far worse that she didn’t seem bothered by me at all. She was more worried about the money, and a small part of me wanted to leave. This wasn’t what I wanted, not truly. I didn’t want to have to basically bribe her to get her to go out with me. I wanted her to want me like I wanted her.
“So how does this look?”
Now she was breathtaking, and all I could do was swallow hard and nod my head. What did it really matter why she was with me, when she looked like that?
The black dress was short and left nothing to the imagination because of how form-fitting it was. She made me want to pull her to me immediately and ravish her. But this was just a date, and I’d made promises. Promises that I now wished I could forget. Now I didn’t want to be held to them. Not when Jesse was looking like that.