Chapter 4
I’d like to eat your cookie.
Not exactly the greeting I expected. It didn’t take me long to realize this wasn’t Margo gawking at me. The dried blue clay formed hairline cracks as her jaw dropped. Did I have the wrong address? I looked her over from head to toe, my eyes stopping on her red and white striped socks. Were those Mickey Mouse ears on her toes?
Regaining some sort of normality, I looked up at her and extended my hand. “Hi. I’m Noah. Is Margo here?” The slight tremble of her hand in mine alerted me to the fact she knew exactly who I was, but the stranger nodded silently. “Can you get her for me?” More nodding. I couldn’t help but laugh. “Thank you.”
She slowly released my hand and mumbled, “Come on in.” The stranger moved out of the way and allowed me to cross the threshold. It was a cute apartment, though small, and definitely decorated by women. Pictures of romantic scenes hung on the wall, throw pillows were colorful and neatly placed, and it smelled sweet.
“I’m Haley. Make yourself comfortable. I’ll be right back after I kill my roommate.” She hustled out of the room.
I sat down in the armchair next to the sofa and waited. Hushed female voices, sounded like arguing, came from the hallway.
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me he was coming over! Look at me!”
“I didn’t know! I never gave him our address.”
“Just get your ass out there!”
“I’m not dressed!”
That last comment made me lean forward and my eyes moved to the direction of their voices. Margo wasn’t dressed? I heard a door close and then another. I’m not sure how much time passed, but the woman who answered the door appeared. Long dark hair full of waves, no more blue face, and from what I could tell by her T-shirt and leggings, a great body. Just not Margo’s body. Haley’s.
“I’m very sorry for the confusion. You caught me off guard. Margo will be out in a minute. Can I offer you something to drink?”
“No, thank you.” I grinned at her, and I think her body swayed a bit. It was a reaction I was used to; I just didn’t necessarily want it from her. It was her roommate who intrigued me.
Haley sat down. “So, what brings you here? Margo said she didn’t know you were coming over?” I admired her protective voice.
“She didn’t? That’s odd because we have a date tonight.” I glanced at my Omega watch. “Hmm . . . I’m right on time, too.” Awkward silence stretched between us. “So, you’re a Minnie Mouse fan?”
The face that was once blue turned a light shade of pink. “Yes. How could you tell?” she quipped.
I laughed. I liked this woman. “Just a hunch.”
Before she could say any more, Margo appeared, looking drop-dead gorgeous. Her damp hair was pulled on top of her head in some sort of curly knot. Her minimal makeup allowed her freckles to show . . . the dark jeans and purple sweater she had on molded to her body perfectly. She was a natural beauty.
“Hey, Margo. Ready?”
“Noah. I wasn’t expecting you.” When I stood to greet her, the expression on her face was pure bewilderment. Did she think I was kidding when I told her I was taking her out?
My hand went to cover my heart. “I’m hurt. Did you forget we had dinner plans for tonight? I told you I’d be here.”
“How did you get my address? Your assistant, the CIA agent?” It was evident in the way she bit the inside corner of her bottom lip that she was trying to suppress a smile.
I took a few steps toward her. “No, this was all me. When I want something, I go after it. Tonight, that’s you.” Haley sighed and when I glanced at her, she was grinning. I shot her a small smirk and brought my attention back to Margo.
Her deer in the headlights look reminded me of when I saw her so many years ago, sitting at the kitchen table doing her homework. Back then Margo wore glasses, no makeup, and chewed the eraser right off her pencil. I remember when Adam introduced us. Her face turned bright red. After that day, anytime I was at their house, she either avoided me or swiped her lips with lipstick. Until that fateful afternoon when I disappointed her by turning down her request to go to prom. Well, that was then, and this was now.
“There, it’s settled. Let’s go.” I held my hand out to her, but she declined the offering. Interesting.
After a long, drawn out exhale, she said, “I need to grab my purse. You’re hardheaded, did you know that? Not to mention, this is borderline kidnapping.” Margo turned to go back into one of the rooms.
I glanced at Haley, but she just shrugged. “Don’t worry about her; she needs a good kidnapping.” The corners of my lips rose at her comment.
We said our goodbyes to Haley and were on our way.
Margo’s demeanor changed when she saw Arthur. “Hi, Arthur, how are you tonight?”
“Good, ma’am.” He opened the door, and we both slid in.
“So, what’s your pleasure? French, Italian, Chinese? Maybe Indian?” I turned toward her, but she didn’t answer. “Fine, I’ll pick.”
“Do you really want to know? You seem to like making decisions.”
“Of course I do. I would like to point out that, technically, you never declined my invitation.” With her mouth open but silent, I took a moment to study her lips. They were full and tinted a light shade of red. What I wouldn’t give to taste them. I leaned forward, close enough to enjoy her scent, but didn’t touch her. “You smell like cookies.”
Like a shot, she pulled back. “Cookies?”
I leaned across the space she put between us and gave a dramatic sniff. “Yes, like . . . what is that? Gingerbread?”
Margo rolled her eyes. “Oh, that’s just my body scrub.”
“Well, you smell good enough to eat.” God, I couldn’t believe this was the same Margo from my past. What an idiot I was back then. Granted, her brother would have kicked my ass, but still, the bruises would have been worth it.
She scoffed. “It’s a good thing we’re going to a restaurant, because I’m not on the menu.”
A hearty laugh flew out of my mouth as I rested back in my seat. “You haven’t changed, Margo. You’re sassy.”
“Sassy?” She shook her head. “Are you sure you’re remembering the right person?”
“Of course, I am. Don’t you remember when I was at your house and you called me a jerk?”
Margo let out a laugh. “Which time?”
“See . . . sassy.” I winked, and we both relaxed.
After about twenty minutes, Arthur pulled up to my favorite restaurant. “We’re here.” Margo leaned forward to look out my window to see where we were.
With my hand on her lower back, I escorted her into Interfusion, a small Italian and Asian fusion café. It wasn’t a fancy place, but it was one of my favorites. I just hoped she would like it as much as I did. At this point, I wasn’t sure what to make of her. Not to sound like I was bragging, but most women flocked to me. Not to mention, when I asked them out, it was as if they had won the lottery. Granted, my net worth rivaled some of the jackpots, but that was beside the point. But not Margo. Nope, she was making me work for it, and oddly, I was enjoying myself.
Margo and I stood in the small vestibule as we waited for the hostess to return to her station. When I looked at Margo, she was scanning the small restaurant. “I hope you like this type of cuisine.”
She shrugged. “No worries. I’m easy.” Margo bit her lip and started fiddling with the strap of the small purse she was holding. “You know what I mean.”
“I do like easy.” Margo rolled her pretty green eyes, causing me to chuckle.
“Hello, Mr. Winston.” The perky hostess was all too friendly before she walked us to the table in the back. This restaurant didn’t have ordinary menus, just specials. Tonight, I knew their featured ingredient was ginger. Granted, if I didn’t like what was offered, they always made an exception and made me my favorite. But when our waitress came to the table, she took one look at us and just stared.
“Hi. I’m Becky, and I’ll be your server.” When she noticed me, she merely glanced at Margo before returning her attention to me.
“Ladies first,” I said, nodding toward Margo.
Margo ordered the rice noodles with lime and avocado crème sauce. Her cocktail of choice was limoncello infused with ginger and mint. Neither of her selections appealed to me.
“And for you, sir?”
“Ginger sea bass, a goat cheese salad with pancetta, and I’ll have three fingers of Chopin please.”
Becky nodded and left us alone. Chatter from the other patrons filled the air but we were silent.
“So, you’re into ginger, too?” Margo said as she took a sip of her water.
“For some reason, I’ve begun to crave it.”
Margo studied me for a minute. “I read you’re the CEO of Carris now; your parents must be thrilled.”
Was she reading up on me? Nice. I liked that. “My grandfather wanted me to take over. When he passed, it’s what I did.” Not wanting to discuss my parents, I skirted around the issue.
“You should be proud.”
Becky brought our drinks. I raised my glass, and Margo followed suit. “To old friends and getting to know each other.”
Margo brought her glass to mine and gave it a small clink. “I still can’t believe I’m sitting here with you.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re you, and I’m me. You’re gorgeous, successful, and to be quite honest, a dream come true for most women.” Her eyes looked to the side. I followed her gaze to find our server looking at us. “See. Case in point. Becky would be more than happy to go out with you, and you wouldn’t need to resort to kidnapping.”
“A dream, huh?” Her face blushed. “Look, I’m going to lay it out there. I think you’re one of the most gorgeous women I’ve ever seen.”
Her brows met her hairline. “You’ve seen me many times before, and one of?” When I didn’t answer, she laughed. “I’m just kidding. I’m sure you know plenty of women, but thanks for the compliment all the same.”
“Things are different from the last time I saw you.”
For no reason, other than possibly nerves, Margo straightened the flatware next to her plate. “Yes, they are. I’m not the same foolish girl I was back then.”
That was for damn sure. But I never thought she was foolish, just young. “What have you been doing the last several years? Tell me about yourself.”
“Believe me, I’m not that interesting.”
“Sorry, I’m not buying it.” Her green eyes looked at me through the prettiest eyelashes I’d ever seen. “You’re well-traveled, and I’m guessing well read.”
“Well, that is true.” She paused before continuing, “I’ve been to several countries. I find different cultures fascinating. But, something tells me you’re well-traveled as well.”
“I am, because of my business, and I agree with the fascination of other cultures. The Europeans have the right idea. They’re more play than work and are still successful.”
Margo nodded. “My dad once called me a gypsy because I didn’t want to join the family business, that I wanted to be able to move around.” She laughed. “That’s when I decided to go to Paris. I figured the groundwork had been laid down, so to prove him right, I followed my dreams and moved. Adam was his pet project, and Dad was satisfied with that.”
Becky was back with our meals. Despite how Margo’s order sounded, it looked delicious, as did mine. When she saw me eyeing it, she twirled some noodles on her fork and held it in front of me. “Try it.”
This was a first for me. She hadn’t even tasted it yet. Since when did a woman do that? I speared some of mine on my fork and mimicked her move. We ate each other’s first bite and moaned appreciatively as we chewed.
“Wow, that’s really good. Great choice.” She nodded, and we continued to eat our own meals.
“What about Adam? Do you talk a lot?” Oddly, her brother never mentioned her. Now I knew why. He had to know that I’d pursue her. Plus, he knew of her infatuation with me. His silence made sense, but that didn’t mean I’d stay away from her.
“I talk to my brother more than my parents. I just haven’t seen him since I’ve been back. He texted me to let me know he was going out of town. To be honest, we don’t have much in common. Our businesses are worlds apart, and discussing relationships isn’t on the table either. The last thing we’d want to hear is who either of us are having sex with. So, we don’t have a lot to talk about. However, he never mentioned you. I didn’t even know you were still in the city.”
In an instant, my dick was engaged in this conversation. “Interesting.”
“What about you?”
“Do I want to hear who you’re having sex with?” Yes, that’s what I got out of her comments. I took a sip of my drink.
“No.” She shook her head but couldn’t hide the smile that appeared. “Your family. Do you see them a lot?”
“No, but it’s fine. I’d rather get back to who you’re having sex with.”
Just like a lady, she ignored my question and continued eating until she was ready to humor me.
“If you must know, I’m not having sex with anyone at the moment. I just got back to the city full-time last month and trying to land a guy is the last thing on my mind. They’re nothing but a pain in the ass.” She slid her fork in her mouth and glanced up at me. Once she finished chewing, she dabbed her lips with her napkin. “Present company excluded, of course.”
I let out a chuckle. “Excluded from being a pain in the ass or landing a guy?”
“Being a pain in the ass. Although, I may need to rethink that.” Pretty lines formed at the corners of her lips before she placed a piece of candied ginger on her tongue. Every move this woman made was sexy as fuck. “You have more questions than Jeopardy.”
“Technically, Jeopardy has answers. Just one more?”
“Fine.” Margo sat back in her chair and placed her hand on her stomach. It was then I realized she’d finished her meal. Another way she was different from other women I took to dinner; most just moved their meals around their plate to make it appear as though they ate something.
“What will it take for you to agree to date me?”