Being back home wasn’t all that fun, not after the weekend. The wedding had been kind of nice, though I couldn’t honestly say I was the kind of guy that liked that sort of thing.

Spending time with Scarlett had been good. Sleeping with her was better. The opportunity to have more than just a night…

I was walking down the street from my closest grocery store, about a block from home. I didn’t have anything to eat at home, but on the way back, I had an idea. Why stay at home and cook and eat by myself? When I made it to my apartment, the first thing I did was reach for my phone.

I made a call, and it rang for a minute before she picked up. “Hello, beautiful,” I said, keeping my tone teasing. “I’m not disturbing you, am I?”

“Hey, Zach,” Scarlett said. “No, I just got home from work.”

“Me, too.”

“Um, was there something you needed?”

At that, I had to chuckle a little, because she sounded so awkward it was cute. She tended to be too serious sometimes, and I knew she overthought things. Tonight I was going to do my damnedest to get her to do the opposite, so she could be as open as she’d been at the wedding reception but without the alcohol this time.

Maybe a glass or two of wine, I mused.

“I wanted to ask if you’d like to go out to dinner with me?” I asked, hopeful. “Usually I cook for myself, takeout isn’t all that healthy so I try to limit it, but I don’t feel like staying home tonight. And we did say we would talk…”

There was a short silence, and I was tempted to start worrying. But then there was a light giggle on the other end that made me smile.

“Talk about me moving into your place, you mean?” she teased.

“Well, we could always talk about other things. It doesn’t have to be about that, but definitely about us.” I pursed my lips and frowned. I wasn’t sure just how serious this conversation needed to be. “Can I just ask if you want anything more to happen between us? If you would, then I’d like to take you to dinner, but it could still just be a friends thing,” I said quietly.

If I had to be honest with myself, staying friends was the last thing I wanted. Yeah, it would be wrong to give her an ultimatum, like we couldn’t go back to being friends. But I didn’t want to lie and say things would go back to how they were. It had barely been a week, and I couldn’t keep my mind off her. That might complicate matters somewhat.

“What if I say…” she started slowly, “I would love to go out to dinner with you, and I wouldn’t mind going home with you at the end of the night.”

Her words instantly had me relieved and tense at the same time. Relieved, because she wanted something with me, even if it was just sex and a good time, two things I would gladly give her. Tense, because she was saying point blank she’d come home with me if I asked. Of course, I was going to ask.

“Should we meet up, or…” she prompted.

I realized I hadn't said anything for a while and cleared my throat, feeling my face warm a little. Only Scarlett could throw me off my game, possibly because she was one of the few women I’d slept with that I considered a friend. Though it could just be because she was amazing, even when the idiots she dated didn’t seem to see it.

“I know where your place is so I could come pick you up,” I offered. “Is there something you’re in the mood for? Or anything you don’t like…?”

She hummed. “I could go for pretty much anything.”

“Great!” I knew this cozy little Italian restaurant that would be perfect. “I’ll see you in, say, thirty minutes?”

“I can't wait,” she said warmly.

We said our goodbyes and cut the call. I looked down at the phone for a moment, before looking up and realizing I hadn't moved past my front door. I rolled my eyes at myself and walked further into the apartment, turning on lights as I went. I dropped my groceries in the kitchen, my backpack with stuff from work in my bedroom, and went to get showered and changed.

Minutes later, I was out of my apartment, rushing down the street.

The last time I was at Scarlett’s apartment was a while back. It was for a party, though I couldn’t quite remember the occasion. It was a small, cozy place, a bit of a distance from my place. I was just glad I didn’t have to call her back and ask for directions because I hadn't even thought about it before.

I was trying to be smooth. She probably didn’t need it, but that didn’t mean I would do anything less than my best. I wined and dined the women I took to my bed because it was the least they deserved. Most of them appreciated it.

Of course, it was also part of what got me into trouble, with a few women reading too much into my actions.

I got a taxi quickly and was on my way to her place. Technically, I had a car, and if I wanted to impress her, I would have picked her up. But living in New York City, I rarely used the car. Traffic was just too annoying. And Scarlett didn’t need me to impress her.

After thirty minutes in the taxi, we made it to her apartment block.

“Wait for me. You can keep the meter running.”

I barely waited for the nod from the driver before I was jumping out and heading for the apartment building. I sprinted up two sets of stairs and paused outside her door to take a breath. Slowly, I knocked in two sharp raps.

There was silence for a moment. It wasn’t long, but it was enough to have me worrying I’d knocked on the wrong person’s door. But then in the next moment, the door opened, and there she stood.

She took my breath away. If anything, she looked even more beautiful than she’d been at the wedding. She wore a dark red dress, and I wondered if matching the dress color to her name was deliberate. It was sleeveless and fell to her feet, with a slit going up in the center up to her thigh. She had matching heels on. Her hair was done up, and it fell in curls over her pale shoulders. There was a thin gold necklace around her neck and matching earrings. She had a red and gold clutch purse in one hand.

She smiled up at me, looking a little unsure. “Would you like to come in, or…?”

“Ah, no,” I said quickly, realizing I’d just been standing there and staring at her, and feeling a little sheepish. I smiled back. “I’m ready to head out if you are?”

She gave me another smile and stepped back inside. She was back a second later, stepping out and locking the door. She had her back to me as she did, and my eyes fell to the nape of her neck. I swayed a little closer when I realized she’d put on some perfume, something that smelled heavenly.

I was very tempted to turn her around and press her against the door. Hell, I didn’t even have to turn her around. We could skip the dinner and go straight to bed…

But that wasn’t classy. We both knew how the night was going to end, yes, but I could be a lot more tactful about it, or try to be anyway. She deserved better than the dirty things going through my mind, after all. And besides, I wanted her to think of doing this with me again, so the last thing I wanted to do was scare her off.

She turned to face me, and I almost jumped her. I held back at the last minute, and then realized I’d been staring at her again.

You’re better than that, I told myself. Fucking try harder.

I smiled a little easier, more confident, and held my arm out. “May I escort you?” I asked.

Her smile grew into a grin as she sidled closer and slid her arm into mine. “You may,” she responded, just as formally.

I led her down the stairs and out of the building. The taxi was still there waiting, and I rushed forward to open the door, stepping aside so she could go in first, giving her a flirty smile as I did. Scarlett giggled as she slid inside, and I followed her.

The driver started the car, and we were off.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“It’s a secret. We’re not that far off, so you don’t need to wait long. Be patient?” I made my tone go low and persuasive, picking up her free hand and kissing the back of it.

She sent me a coy smile but kept silent.

I’d thought ahead and let the driver know where we wanted to go before I picked her up. Luckily, it was late enough that traffic wasn’t too heavy, but not too late to take her out to eat.

About twenty minutes later, the taxi came to a stop. I already had the money waiting in my hand, along with a generous tip, and I paid the driver, then opened the door. I slid outside and held my hand to help Scarlett out.

We stood outside a popular Italian restaurant. I’d thought about where to take her, torn between several places. This was somewhere I’d come before. The food was good, and the prices were reasonable. It wasn’t a place I took my dates too often, which was good for me because it would ruin the night if I kept getting knowing looks from the staff as they served us. It had happened enough times to be annoying, but most of the time I didn’t bother to change my routine over a little annoyance.

Scarlett was a little better than that. I planned on taking her home with me, but she was a friend first.

“I’ve heard of this place,” she told me as she stood beside me. “I’ve never been before.”

“I’m assuming you like Italian?”

I was pretty sure she did. We’d gone out to an Italian restaurant with our friends sometime before.

“It’s fine,” she said, as I expected.

She slid her arm back into mine as we walked to the door. We stopped at the podium where a host waited, and I gave her the name I’d reserved our table under.

“Right this way, sir.”

Lucky for me, they took late reservations. I’d called after I talked to Scarlett, and it was enough time for a table to be clear. It was rare to find it empty this time at night, so I was glad I’d thought ahead, especially when we walked in and I saw there wasn’t another free table on the way to ours. That would have been embarrassing.

We were seated at a small table for two and given menus.

“A server will be with you soon,” the man told us with a slight bow, then left us alone.

“It’s as beautiful inside as it is out,” she muttered, looking around.

I glanced around, knowing what she meant. It was relatively small and decorated in varying shades of brown, only it looked warm and cozy. It was popular with families and couples alike. I just enjoyed the food, but I’d heard people compliment the atmosphere of the room plenty of times.

Then I aimed a smile at Scarlett. “I could say the same about you,” I said casually. “Beautiful.”

She rolled her eyes. “You know, if you keep saying that, I’m going to start thinking you don’t mean it.”

“But why?” I asked in mock surprise. “I call it as I see it, is there something wrong with that?”

“Not really. I’m starting to realize it’s just you, and you love to speak your mind, don’t you?”

I hummed and glanced down at the menu. “You could say that.”

It was one way of putting it, but I wondered what she thought of me. Suddenly, I was a little paranoid, and it left me somewhat confused. Then I internally shook my head and decided I was thinking too much. But my eyes slid up to Scarlett, to find her looking through her menu, and I lost myself in staring at her again.

As if she felt my gaze, she looked up and smiled. “Do you know what you’re getting?”

I shrugged. The menu was more of a shield for me than anything. “I’ve been here before, so yes. Have you decided?”

She pursed her lips and nodded, her eyes suddenly sharpening on me. I wondered if I’d said anything wrong, but then I got it before she opened her mouth and asked, “So you’ve been here before, huh?”

There was something in her voice, I wasn’t sure just what it was, but it was simple enough to guess. I smirked.

“Don’t tell me you’re jealous?” I teased.

She arched an eyebrow. “Who’s jealous? Is there anything wrong with wanting to know if you bring all your hookups here?”

I was tempted to mess with her a little, play on whatever emotion it was she was feeling. I had to remind myself again that this was Scarlett, not another of my conquests.

“I don’t,” I answered honestly.

She was openly surprised. “You don’t?”

I chuckled at her disbelief. “Why don’t you believe me? I’ve told you the kind of women I go for. Most of them don’t even want to go out, so they invite themselves over to my place, and we eat there. I haven’t brought a date here in… Well, a while. Probably more than a year.”

She looked pleased, and I smiled. She ducked her head when a small blush lit her cheeks, probably realizing she wasn’t hiding her emotions. It was another thing I loved about her, though. Scarlett was easy to read, and most of her actions were clear. It was different when it came to her relationships, but she was naturally an honest person, and I loved that about her.

“And do you come here often?”

I shrugged. “It depends on my mood. If I’m too lazy to cook, if I want to treat myself after a particularly good or bad day.” I reached across the table and took one of her hands. “I came here the night after the wedding, so I thought it would be perfect to bring you here.”

An amused smile played on her lips. “Was it because of me?”

I mirrored her smile. “Of course.”

We paused when a waiter stopped beside our table to take our orders before disappearing again.

“I’m going to take your word on how good this place is. I don’t eat out a lot.”

“Really? Why not?”

She chewed slightly on her lower lip, then looked down with a self-deprecating smile. “I never feel like doing it on my own. It’s easier to order takeout, you know? And most of the guys I date don’t like going out.”

I frowned at that, again wondering what kind of guys she dated. I didn’t get close to any of them when she introduced them to us, but I’d met more than a handful since I’d known her. Most of them didn’t seem that bad, so it always surprised me when they were stupid enough to let her go.

I’d held myself back for years. There was never the right time to make a move because after she’d broken up with someone she was down for weeks afterward. But before I knew it, she’d found someone new, and I lost my chance. It was a cycle that had been going on for way too long.

So I’d taken advantage, just a little, when I saw her alone at the wedding and in serious need of company.

“Well, that’s no good,” I said with sadness that wasn’t entirely fake, slightly shaking my head. “I’ll have to take you out often to make up for all the years you’ve missed out.”

Her eyes flashed back to mine, slightly widened. “What?”

“I’ll take you out as often as you want,” I offered. “Well, as often as either of us can afford to spare the time. I’ll even pay for you.”

Her eyebrow went up. “No matter what I get? For every date?”

“Sure, why not?” I was sure I could afford to spoil her now and then. “It doesn’t have to be just dinner. If you’d like me to take you out on dates, then I wouldn’t mind.”

She aimed a grin at me. “Then I’ll take you up on that offer,” she said happily.

Our conversation was cut off again as the waiter came back with our orders. We chatted lightly as we ate, and I couldn’t take my eyes off her the entire time. We talked about our friends, the wedding—she wrinkled her nose slightly at that, it was cute—and our jobs.

And in between, we flirted. Her eyes would darken every time, and my body would heat in response to her apparent desire.

“Are you ready to leave now?” I asked after we were done with the meal. “We could get some dessert…”

But she shook her head, declining the offer. “I’m ready to leave.”

The look she aimed at me was trying to tell me something. With the way she was leaning slightly toward me, lips parted as she breathed, and the blush on her cheeks, I could guess what was going on in her mind. A slow smile spread on my lips, and her eyes dropped to my mouth as I said, “I think you should come home with me.”

It wasn’t a question.

She smiled back and looked at me from under her eyelashes. “Gladly.”