CHAPTER 6
Jennifer
“You’re late.” Bradley’s voice was gruff. A punctual person, he had a no tolerance policy for tardiness.
“I’m sorry,” I said, scrambling into the chair across from him. “There was a lot of traffic on the freeway.” I didn’t tell him about my finger-jamming incident.
The restaurant Bradley had chosen was a Thai one located in Toluca Lake close to his Burbank office. There had been no fast or easy way to get there from my new Culver City office, especially during rush hour. All throughout the stressful bumper-to-bumper drive, my finger throbbed, and I regretted I hadn’t canceled our date. The only thing good about my achy finger was that it made me think of my new boss, Blake. He had been surprisingly sweet and caring. So different from the arrogant asshole he came off as during my job interview. Maybe working for him wouldn’t be as bad as I thought. But it was definitely going to be a challenge because he was so demanding. And so damn handsome. Okay, devastating.
While Bradley studied the menu, I took in my surroundings. The restaurant was small, uncrowded, and dimly lit. It reeked of garlic. Bradley liked eating here because it was vegan. He’d recently become one, convinced this lifestyle would prevent deadly heart disease and gingivitis. As long as I’d known him, he’d been a hypochondriac, and being a dentist, he was very germ-phobic. The latter was the main reason he abstained from oral sex and always wore a condom.
“How was your day?” I began after ordering an iced green tea from the Asian waitress who stopped by our table. Still stressed out, I really craved something alcoholic (thank goodness, vegan wine existed), but the restaurant didn’t have a liquor license. It was just as well since I wanted to be clearheaded for my first work assignment. Bradley ordered his usual—a high protein soy milk shake with wheatgrass. He was not a drinker.
Without wasting a second, Bradley launched into his day. An endless minute to minute monologue about his patients and their problems—from the elderly man who accidentally threw his dentures into the garbage disposal to the woman who cracked her front tooth on her boyfriend’s penis ring.
I half-heartedly listened, nodding and intermittently responding with one-word comments, like “wow,” “interesting,” and “eew.” My mind was preoccupied with my work assignment and pleasing my new boss, Blake. The image of his face filled my head. God, he was good-looking with his crooked dimpled smile, smoldering eyes, strong stubbled jaw, and that head full of dark, almost black hair. So different from Bradley, who was clean-shaven with an average build, collegiate style, neatly groomed brownish hair (on the receding side) and a wide, toothy smile. He had the biggest, whitest, straightest teeth I’d ever seen. They seriously belonged in a tooth museum.
The return of the waitress interrupted our one-way conversation. Bradley ordered curried tofu and a side of garlic eggplant. Still a little nauseated from my finger-jamming incident, I wasn’t very hungry and ordered a small organic vegetable salad. The Serenity Salad. I felt anything but serene.
“So how was your first day at work?” Finally, he had asked something about me.
“It was fine. I have a big project, so I can’t stay out too late.” Bradley had no clue that I’d accepted a job with SIN-TV after Conquest Broadcasting’s children’s channel was sold. I was afraid to tell him. Afraid he would judge me. And think I was some kind of slut. Afraid he would leave me.
“How’s your boss?”
“He’s nice enough.” And sexy as hell.
The waitress returned with our orders. Bradley dug into his curried tofu while I picked at my salad. It was difficult to hold my fork. My finger, now uncovered, still throbbed, making it impossible to get Blake out of my thoughts.
“And how was your celebration dinner last night?” he asked after shoving a forkful of the saucy bean curd into his mouth.
“It was great,” I mumbled, that kiss jumping into my brain and wreaking havoc on my body. “Wish you’d been there.”
Unfortunately, Bradley had been unable to attend due to a last minute emergency with one of his patients. One thing about my fiancé . . . he was committed and passionate about his work.
“Sorry I missed it. And sorry I couldn’t have given you this in front of all your friends.” He slipped his hand into the breast pocket of his navy blazer and held out a small silver box in his palm. It was labeled Zales. My heartbeat sped up.
He snapped open the lid, and my eyes widened. Inside was a diamond ring. My engagement ring.
“Do you like it?”
“It’s beautiful,” I stuttered, utterly disappointed. The square diamond was small and dull. Bradley came from money, not billionaires, but nonetheless money. I’d shown him pictures of rings I liked, none of them extravagant, but not one was like this one. The prospect of being engaged to him and becoming Mrs. Bradley Wick was suddenly more real than it had ever been. He took my shaky left hand in his and slipped the ring onto my ring finger. It fit perfectly.
“Thank you.” Thank you? Wasn’t I supposed to gasp? Or get goose bumps? Maybe even swoon?
“It’s official now.” He smiled broadly, revealing that perfect set of pearly white teeth and then leaned across the table to plant a kiss on my lips that I was neither prepared for nor wanted. My eyes stayed open. As his lips pressed against mine, the kiss of another man dominated my thoughts and my senses. I’d kissed another last night. A mysterious stranger. And I’d more than liked it. As Bradley’s tight-lipped kiss infused me with the taste of curry and garlic, I longed for those other lips. Those hot, hungry champagne-laced lips and that velvety tongue that had tangoed with mine. Bradley smelled of antiseptic; that man had smelled of sex. My breath hitched in my throat. What was wrong with me? I was engaged to the man who I’d known throughout college, but I longed for another. A man I didn’t know. A faceless man whose lips I craved.
With guilt stabbing at my heart, I pulled away from Bradley. He went back to his tofu dish, scraping his plate clean, while I barely made a dent in my salad. I just didn’t have an appetite.
The waitress came by one more time to clear our plates. I told her I’d take the rest of my salad home. Bradley hated waste. When she asked if we wanted dessert, I quickly passed before my fiancé could say a word.
“I should get going. I’ve got a lot of work to do. And I want to make a favorable impression on my boss.”
Bradley nodded in approval. “Totally understand.” Yes, a good work ethic was important to Bradley. That’s one of the things about me that had attracted him to me in the first place. I was a conscientious student who always completed my assignments on time and went beyond the necessary to get an outstanding grade. We were both anal like that, although Bradley’s anal qualities went beyond mine, almost to an extreme. He was a creature of habit and precision—which manifested itself when the check came.
He carefully scrutinized it and then pulled out his trusty pocket calculator from his slacks pocket to compute the 17% tip. Nothing more. Nothing less. He then whipped out his impeccably neat wallet and took out his credit card. He placed it precisely in the center of the bill holder and handed it to the waitress when she returned to our table.
“Do you really like the ring?” Bradley prodded after the waitress slipped away.
I nodded, faking a small smile.
He flashed his pearly whites. “I know the stone is a little small, but right now I want to put as much money as I can into my practice.”
“Of course,” I agreed, hiding my disappointment.
The truth: Brad was thrifty—to the point of almost being a cheapskate. I think it was connected to his parents, who despite their wealth, lived very modestly, and to his anal behavior. He never valeted his car, parking it blocks away to save money, and liked to shop at bargain outlets. The 99 Cents Only Store was one of his favorites. And apparently so was Zales, and not Tiffany.
I glanced down at the ring. As dull a diamond as it was, it glimmered in the candlelight. Yet, I didn’t feel a glint of excitement. Not even the tiniest. The candle burnt out and I wondered—had my love for Bradley burnt out? Up until now, I was in denial. And now, we were officially engaged.