Chapter 6 Seth
Seth
I lightly drum my fingers on the table at the restaurant, nursing a beer as I wait for my date. He’s late. What was I thinking by agreeing to a blind date? Damn, Edmundo can be pushy as heck. He’s not only my accountant, but my pimp now, apparently.
You could’ve said no, Seth.
I look up in time to see a man rushing my way, but with an air of elegance. If I were running late, I’d look like a chihuahua that needs to pee. I panic every time I’m behind.
The man has cropped black hair with long waves in the front, neatly fingered back from his face, which is dusted in black scruff on his tanned skin.
He’s taller than I am, and you can tell he works out because his navy-blue button-up is snug against his body, like it was custom-made just for him.
Perhaps it was. He pairs it with dark wash jeans.
The air whooshes out of my lungs at his beauty.
Damn, Edmundo hadn’t been wrong. He’s hot.
They go to the same gym and became friends between reps of whatever gym bros do to get ripped.
My friend informed me that Leo is forty-one, a single dad, and a well-to-do lawyer.
I bet he’s a jerk, though, despite what my friend says about him.
I guess that’s not fair. I don’t even know the guy.
It shows I’m still bitter. Maybe I should call this off.
It’s only a date, Seth, not a marriage proposal.
Yep, he’s elegant and sexy. Let’s see what his personality is like.
I stand as soon as he reaches the table, and we shake hands.
“Sorry, I’m late!” he says in a deep baritone voice that tingles around my stomach. I can’t remember the last time my stomach did that around a guy. “I’m Leo.”
Don’t lie. Your neighbor does that to you. And I hate it.
“Seth. No worries,” I say, though I’m on the anal side about punctuality.
He slides into the booth across from me, and I sit down as well. “My son is sixteen and is developing quite the attitude. It took me a hot minute to untangle myself from an argument about late homework and trashing the kitchen just to make a snack.”
I smile at that. “Kids are cute for a reason. My daughter is a handful, and she’s only three. I’m kind of freaking out about the day she becomes a teen.”
“Indeed!” he chuckles, opening his menu.
When the server stops by, he orders an old-fashioned.
“This is my first date in years, so if I’m awkward, just know that I generally suck at dating in general,” I say when our server leaves to get that part out of the way.
He smiles brightly at me, revealing perfectly straight white teeth. Dang, he’s attractive.
“Divorced, cheated on, or widowed?” he asks boldly.
“Divorced and abandoned.”
“Prick.”
I snort a laugh and shrug. “That he is. How about you?”
“I’m divorced as well, but my ex is still in our son’s life.”
“Does he live in New Orleans, then?”
“She. My ex-wife. And yes, she does.”
I hadn’t expected that. He must be bi or pan, but I don’t question it as long as he’s not here to experiment. I don’t have the patience to teach some guy about gay sex.
The server brings Leo’s drink over and sets it on the table before he takes our order.
Leo hands him the menu back. “I’ll have the almond-crusted sea bass.”
“And I’ll have the shrimp and grits.”
The server leaves to put in our order. I worry that the conversation will grow awkward or stale, but it doesn’t. I’ve got to stop projecting. Just because I’m terrible at dates doesn’t mean he is.
“You have a daycare business? Is that correct?” Leo asks.
“Yes, it’s more like a drop-off babysitting facility. It’s gotten quite popular, so I had to open other facilities to meet the demand.”
“Exciting. You must do well. Are your kids there? Three of them, right?”
“Sometimes they do, but tonight they’re at my parents’ house. They’ll stay the night with them.”
Leo leans forward with a smirk resting on his face. “All night? So, if all goes well with our date?”
My face burns, and I mask it with a sip from my beer.
His implication is clear. He wants sex. It’s something I prepared for, but I’d forgotten how bold men can be.
Malcolm had been the same way. And I did miss sex.
We don’t have to get serious, right? God, I want a relationship, not a one-nighter.
Maybe I’m rushing too much, but I’m not some single guy anymore.
Simply fooling around doesn’t work when you have three kids.
Still, my hand is getting old, and my kids won’t be home until tomorrow.
I mean, why shouldn’t I have some fun for a change?
“Maybe if all goes well,” I say eventually.
Conversation during dinner is light and easy. I don’t recall smiling so much. And Leo seems so… normal. I especially like that he’s a single dad like me. It really helps. Not to mention his attractiveness. I have to admit, Edmundo did well in setting this up.
“So, you were married to a woman? What changed, if you don’t mind me asking?” I need to know if he’s dated men before. If he hasn’t, I’ll call off the date.
Our server stops at our table before Leo can answer and clears away our dishes.
When he leaves, Leo takes a sip from his second old-fashioned.
“Our divorce ended amicably. We separated when I came out as gay to her. I’ve always known, but living in the shadows, always hiding who you are, takes a toll on you, you know?
My parents are homophobic, so I sat in the closet, married my high school sweetheart, and had a child.
She wasn’t surprised when I told her, but she was grateful I was honest with her. ”
“She wasn’t mad at all?”
His story is similar to Slade’s.
“Not really. As I said, she wasn’t surprised, and she knows how my parents are. I love her, and she loves me, but it was time for me to be true to myself, not only for myself but also for her. She deserves someone who’s all in.”
“How did your son take it?”
“Colby? He’s struggling with it. He accepts me as I am, but he didn’t think we needed to get divorced if we still loved each other. I went to therapy with him to help him get through this transition.”
“How long have you been divorced?”
“Almost four years now.”
Okay, that’s good to know, so he’s probably dated other men before me.
However, I’m not sure how I feel about his marriage.
He lied to his wife by omission for years.
I guess, if she’s okay with it… Still, it’s a yellow flag for now.
While my friend Slade went through something similar, I’m not on a date with Slade.
His personal life has no impact on mine.
Leo leans back in the booth and waggles his finger at me as he smiles crookedly. “You’re worried about me only being here to experiment, or you’re worried that I didn’t tell my wife sooner.”
I shake my head and huff a laugh. “Edmundo didn’t tell me you’re a mind-reader, too.”
His laugh was deep and addictive. Honestly, I love that he’s not offended. “Well, you seem to wear how you’re feeling on your face. I’m also a lawyer. I’ve learned to read body language and what’s left unsaid pretty well.”
Said face burns again. “Oh, yeah. That’s why I’m usually terrible at poker.”
He laughs again. “Ah, yes, the infamous poker team of single dads. Edmundo has been trying to get me to join, but I know nothing about poker. Besides, on game night, I have my son. My ex has custody, and I get visitation, so I don’t want to miss a moment with him.”
I smile at that. That yellow flag has turned green once more. That he’ll do whatever he can to spend time with his son is a bonus.
“I really like that,” I said.
Leo winked at me. “And I like you.”
“Why? Honestly, I’m kind of boring. Somewhere down the line, after my ex left, I’ve simply become a dad and a business owner, not much else.”
“First, you’re not boring. Second, you’re attractive, and we have parenting in common.” He leans forward and grabs my hand resting on the table. “And I bet there’s more to you than meets the eye.”
And that does it for me. I’m sold. Time to be bold. You only live once, right? “Want to come home with me?”
His smirk turns into a full-on, broad smile. “I’d love to.”
I hand the coffee mug to Leo after he slides his arms through his now wrinkly button-up. He plucks it from my hand and sets it down on my dresser without a sip before yanking me against him.
My hands rest on his chest as I look up at him. “I had a fantastic evening last night.” He leans down and nips my earlobe. “You were fire.”
My face heats, but I don’t hide it from him this time. “I think you may have taught me a thing or two about sex.”
His chuckle is deep and dangerous. “Oh, we’re only just starting. I can’t wait for more.” He stands straight and finally takes a sip of his coffee. “That is if you want more.”
I gnaw on my bottom lip like some stupid teen back when I was crushing on Greg McFadden, a senior and the starting quarterback in high school, while I was in the tenth grade. “I definitely want more.”
Leo wraps his fingers gently around my throat, forcing my head up to look at him.
He’s demanding in bed. Dominant. I like it.
He knows exactly what he wants and how to get it.
It took all the guesswork out of sex last night, not that I forgot, but it’s been a long time. Then he presses a kiss to my lips.
“I look forward to it,” he says. When he pulls away, he tugs on his jeans and then fixes his hair. “Anyway, I’d better run. Colby, my son, will be over at my place in about an hour.”
“Yeah, my kids will be home soon, too.”
Once he’s ready, he drinks back the rest of his coffee and grabs me again, forcing our bodies flush against each other. “I meant what I said. I want to see you again, Seth.”
“I’d really like that.”
“Excellent! Then it’s settled. I’ll text you the time and place to meet up. Or you can text me if you have some thoughts.”
I love that he gives me the choice, too. I know he won’t leave me hanging, which is always a fear.
After we hug and kiss again, I see him off.
As I stand on the porch, watching Leo drive off, I look around the yard. It’s a wreck again. I’d forgotten to clean it up before I left for my date. With a sigh, I start picking everything up before my neighbor makes them into a totem again.
Part of me wonders if my kids do it on purpose, though I doubt it.
Kids are generally absent-minded and act impulsively.
It doesn’t matter how many times I tell them not to put toys in Calvin’s yard; they still do it, but it’s not like they understand property lines.
I guess most parents would punish them, but I like to pick my battles, and I don’t think leaving a few toys lying around is a matter of life or death, but I do try to make them pick up their own things.
For now, they aren’t home yet, so I do it.
When I’m half finished, I see a man jogging toward me.
No, not any man. My hot neighbor. Of course, he’s shirtless.
Good thing I’m sexually satiated, otherwise I’d have run in the house and rubbed one off.
Leo is hot, but Calvin… Nope, don’t go there.
Who cares that he’s rippling with muscle and that he shimmers in the sunlight, reflecting the sweat off his freckly skin?
You have Leo to look forward to, Seth. He’s hot and full of yummy muscles, too.
And of course, Calvin makes another snide comment, reminding me that you can be hot on the outside and a jerk on the inside. I ignore him and haul the toys inside with plans to talk to the kids for the hundredth time.