Bas
I HAD BEEN TRYING TO figure out what I did to deserve what was happening to me. I always thought I was a good boyfriend. I never cheated on the women I was in relationships with. I’d tried to be honest and respectful. Never one to overstep my bounds and yet, when it came to Kendell, I shared parts of me I never shared with any other woman. In fact, I never considered marriage until Kendell. Yet, the one woman I thought was more real than any of the fluff balls, turned out to be the one to hurt me the most.
I still couldn’t believe she was engaged. What really had me stumped the most was that she and Jackson hadn’t known each other that long. I knew you didn’t need to spend years getting to know someone, but my God, it had only been a few months.
Leave it to the woman I loved to shatter my reputation. I didn’t hang out with the fellas today, because I couldn’t stand to have one more person feeling sorry for me. It was bad enough I felt sorry for myself, I didn’t need my boys feeling sorry for me as well.
What I needed was a good steak and a glass of port.
I walked into the restaurant and went straight to the bar. I’d always liked this restaurant. The smooth jazz complimented the food and atmosphere perfectly. I looked around the restaurant at all the couples, and began to second guess my decision to fly solo tonight.
I sipped my drink and sighed. I was Sebastian Devereaux. I could do this. I used to go out on a regular basis and pick up, I mean, meet women. Yet, here I was, terrified to put myself out there. Damn Kendell for stealing my confidence. I sipped my drink and looked around the restaurant. There had to be at least one attractive, single, woman I could buy a drink and possibly dinner. So far, no one caught my eye.
I placed my order and when I looked up in the mirror, I spotted a familiar face. I couldn’t stand another rejection. Instead, I waited for the perfect time to make my move. I kept tabs on her with the help of the mirror and her server.
Just as I was finishing my steak, she came over and tapped me on the shoulder. I wiped my mouth, turned around, and stood up. We’d never really spoken beyond some small talk, but she had always been on my list. Pretentious comment number two. Every time I wanted to approach her, she was with someone. I made it a rule never to brush up on another man’s woman. I wouldn’t like it if someone knowingly did that to me. The few times she had come in to the store, we’d spoken a little, but nothing more than friendly banter. I was surprised when I saw her at church. I didn’t know we had that in common, as well.
She was clearly the type of woman I’d be with…smart, successful and beautiful. She wasn’t like the women I used to date, nor was she like Kendell. She was a mix. I have wanted to ask her out, but the timing was never right. Seemed we’d never been available at the same time. I wasn’t sure she was now.
She held up the receipt. “Seems someone treated me to dinner.” She smiled.
I smiled. “I didn’t want to intrude on your meal. Join me for a coffee?”
She looked at her watch. “That would be nice.” I helped her onto the stool, and noticed she had beautiful legs.
“What would you like?”
“An espresso.”
“We’ll have two espressos. Thank you.” I sat down.
“Thank you for dinner.”
“It was my pleasure.” I couldn’t believe I was nervous. “I have…”
“Let’s not muddy the evening with a lot of conversation about past intentions.”
“Okay.”
“Let’s just flow in the present.”
This was new for me. An aggressive, confident woman. “So, do you go out to eat alone a lot?”
The bartender placed the espresso shot glasses in front of us. “Thank you.” She added sugar and took a sip. “That’s a tricky question.”
“It is?” I sipped my espresso. “How so?”
“In order to answer that question, I have to step back into the past and right now, I’m trying to forget some things in my past.”
“Sounds like you’ve just come through a rough break up.”
“Is it that obvious?” She ran her index finger around the rim of her glass.
“Let’s just say, I’m not sure what’s worse, the break up or getting back out there.” I sipped my espresso.
“Trust me, there’s something worse than getting back out there…,” she sipped her espresso. She had incredible lips.
“What could be worse?”
“Watching your ex move on.”
“I know your pain.” I finished my espresso.
“Is that why you’re here alone?”
I nodded. “She’s engaged.”
She signaled the bartender. “Two Prunier Champagnes, thank you.” She finished her espresso.
“I’m not a champagne kinda guy.”
“Trust me on this.” She smiled.
She had a beautiful smile. “Okay.”
The bartender placed the petite glasses in front of us. We raised our glasses. “Here’s to our exs may they realize what they’ve lost.”
“Salud.” I took a small sip and realized it wasn’t champagne, but very smooth brown juice. It reminded me of what Moses had given me the other night. “That’s not champagne.” I looked at her with a raised eyebrow and a crooked smile.
“No, it’s cognac. It’s what I drank when I found out my ex got engaged to a woman ten years younger than me after only knowing her three months.”
“You win. At least my ex waited almost a year.”
She sipped her drink. “He didn’t even tell me. I found out from one of my girlfriends whose boyfriend knows him. Her boyfriend and my ex are friends.”
“I can top that. I suspected she was engaged, but her fiancé announced it at my niece’s christening reception.”
“You win that round.” She laughed and took another sip. “No more talk of exs.”
“Deal.”
“Why are you dining alone?” she asked.
“Thought I should get back out there.”
“Good move. Trust me sitting, festering, thinking about the past and trying to figure out what you did wrong, doesn’t help. Nor does planning their death.” She smiled.
“Exactly.” I sipped my drink. “Although, I think I had come up with some very clever options.”
She laughed. “Don’t tell me, in case you need my services, I need to be objective.”
“Are you sure, because I have some really good ones.”
“I’m sure. Besides, if they think they can do better than us, all the best to them.”
“Exactly.”
She looked at her watch. “It’s getting late and I have to fly to Toronto in the morning.”
“Toronto?”
“Yes. I just took a position in my firm’s Toronto office.”
“Congratulations.” God, Your timing is really something.
She placed a fifty dollar bill under her glass and stood up. I started to get up, and she stopped me. She stroked the side of my face and gently kissed me.
“My dear Sebastian, you are the one that should have been.”
“I’ll walk you to your car.”
“Please don’t.”
I was a little shocked at her request. “Afraid I might kiss you and you’ll change your mind about Toronto?” I teased.
“Yes.”
She was either being nice, or this was flirting on a whole new level. She brushed my lips with the tip of her finger. I don’t know what came over me. I eased my hands around her waist, pulled her close and gently grabbed her bottom lip between mine. She splayed her hands across my chest and met my lips with hers. The intensity grew from a gentle peck to an intense, deep kiss for all to see. I couldn’t believe she was…I was carrying on like this in public. I blamed it on the Prunier and the music. This was my match. She wrapped her hands around my neck and let out a faint moan. She pulled back, and brushed her finger across my lips and smiled.
“My driver is waiting.” She leaned in and whispered. “If I wasn’t moving to Toronto, this would be the first of many kisses between us.”
I could have suggested a long distance thing, but I knew it wouldn’t work. “I agree.” Savannah Moore and I were destined to be two ships that pass in the night, and I was fine with that. Some fantasies were just meant to be fond memories, and stories you share with your son when he’s old enough to understand.
“However, in the off chance you find yourself in Toronto, call me and we can share a Prunier.” She wrote her number on a napkin, placed it in my hand and kissed me again before walking out of my life.
I watched her walk towards the door as her hips moved to the sexy sounds bouncing off the walls.