Chapter 5
Chapter Five
I hate dating , Chelsey thought as she stared across the candlelit table at her date. They’d gone out twice before tonight, and she had hoped the third time would improve her opinion of him.
Nope. She still felt nothing for the guy.
She convinced herself that maybe dinner again with Terrance would be different. That maybe he wouldn’t talk about himself all night. And just maybe a powerful spark would ignite between them, and she’d fall madly in lust with him. Then she could forget about Parker and start new with someone else.
Ha! Wishful thinking.
She wanted so badly to like Terrance Burton III. Not only because she was trying to move on from Parker, but also because… Okay, maybe it was about moving on from Parker.
Still, why’d this guy have to be so boring? She should’ve listened to herself earlier when she had considered canceling, but she hadn’t because she didn’t want to sit at home thinking about her ex. Now she couldn’t wait to get home and curl up on her overstuffed sofa while devouring a pint of Ben & Jerry’s. That chocolate fudge brownie ice cream was calling her name.
Chelsey lifted her glass of Chardonnay and took a sip as she glanced at Terrance. The dull man was still talking about his new car. At least they were at one of her favorite steakhouses near Midtown Atlanta. The dimly lit space was romantic with soft jazz flowing through the speakers, and the hum of patrons talking and laughing helped create a relaxing environment. Also, the food was as amazing as usual, and the blackened salmon practically melted in her mouth. So the date wasn’t all bad.
“Every day I learn something new about my Acura,” Terrance said. “I didn’t realize I had adaptive cruise control. It blows my mind how the car can slow itself down to match the speed of the car in front of it. Then go right back to cruising.”
What a waste of a handsome face , Chelsey thought as he droned on and on. The man was good-looking with smooth reddish-brown skin, an incredible body, and a swag that gave him a bad-boy vibe. She had always had a thing for bad boys, loving their edginess, self-confidence, and even their fearlessness.
Terrance had all of that with a bit of arrogance. He also had a good job as a data analyst for an international company, and he was taking night classes to finish his master’s degree in computer science. He should’ve been a great catch—but deep down, Chelsey felt that something was off. She couldn’t quite pinpoint what that was, besides him being boring, but there was definitely something about him that didn't add up. It was almost like he was too perfect.
Her brother always told her to trust her instincts, but when it came to men and dating, her instincts weren’t the best. Just once she wished she could choose the perfect man. Instead, she had chosen this one. A man who was making her feel as if she was sitting in on a mind-numbing lecture waiting for it to end. More than that, being with Terrence only made her miss Parker more.
Chelsey sighed as she used her fork to push jasmine rice around on her plate. She actually didn't think she chose wrong with Parker. He was a wonderful man who cared about people and was committed to those who mattered to him. Even though they were no longer dating, she knew she could call him if she ever needed him.
God, she missed him. He had become such an important part of her life, and then poof , he was gone. She would always love him despite how mad she still was at the way he’d ended things between them.
I need to talk to you.
There’s something I need to tell you.
His words played through her mind. What was so important that he’d wanted to tell her? Maybe in another day or two, once she knew she could control herself around him, she’d hear him out. That wouldn’t be anytime soon, though. Lately, she waffled between wanting to punch him and wanting to make love to him.
How messed up was that?
“So how was work today?” Terrance suddenly asked, shocking the heck out of Chelsey. “I don’t think I ever asked you, but how do you like being a parole officer?”
Nope he never asked because he spent the last two dates and several phone calls, talking about his work and what a great basketball player he was. Granted, occasionally he’d ask her a question about herself, but somehow the conversation always went back to him and the high opinion he had of himself.
“Today was okay. Made a few home visits, saw a couple of clients, and did a lot of paperwork. So it was a fairly routine day.”
“You actually call them clients?” he asked, a deep frown on his face.
“No, actually I call them by their names, and they are my clients.” Asshole . What did he expect her to call them? Thief? Murderer? Or something else crazy like that?
“I don’t like the idea of you being around criminals all day,” Terrance said as if she cared about what he liked or didn’t like. “They might be trying to reform, but they are still criminals. I remember this one time when I walked in on a store robbery…”
And once again the conversation is about him .
It was almost laughable. Well, at least he didn’t ask her more questions about work. Some people wanted to know everything about her job and her clients. Especially those clients who had committed murder.
It was amazing how her dreams had changed over the years. In college, she had majored in criminal justice. Her intention was to become a criminal investigator for a US government agency. After doing an internship with the FBI, she quickly lost interest. Then after Kenton, who used to be an FBI agent, became a security specialist at Supreme Security, Chelsey had decided that’s what she wanted to do, too. Unfortunately, Mason was still insisting she needed more experience, but she would show him that she was ready.
“Chelsey?” Terrance said, waving his hand back and forth in front of her face.
“Oh, I’m sorry.” Sitting up straighter, she was surprised to see their server standing next to the table. “What did you say?”
“I was asking if either of you would like dessert.”
“Oh no. I’m good. Actually, I’m finished eating,” Chelsey said and slid her mostly empty plate toward the server.
“What about you, sir? Would you like anything else?”
“No thank you. You can bring the check.”
“Will do.”
Even as they left the restaurant, the enticing aromas followed them out. Though the date had been just okay, everything else about the evening was wonderful. Good food, beautiful night, and despite the ninety-five degrees earlier, the temperature and humidity had dropped. It was still hot, but the light breeze kissed Chelsey’s warm skin and had her breathing a sigh of relief.
“You look absolutely beautiful tonight,” Terrance said.
“Thank you.”
Chelsey had to keep herself from laughing. Of course he hadn’t said anything, he’d been too caught up in talking about himself to probably even notice. But that was okay, the date was almost over, and if she was honest, she’d had worse.
“I like you in short dresses and high heels,” Terrance continued.
The floral print sundress, with spaghetti crisscross straps in the back, molded over her size six figure perfectly. She’d worn the outfit to give herself that extra bit of confidence. After the day she’d had, she needed something to make her feel good inside while showcasing her assets. This dress, combined with the deep-red high-heeled sandals, had done that.
She walked a short distance in front of Terrance and sensed his gaze on her backside. A glance over her shoulder confirmed he was still checking her out, and she slowed to let him catch up.
“And those long, shapely legs…” he said, shaking his head in appreciation.
He didn’t finish the sentence, but he was such a guy and was probably imagining them wrapped around his waist. Something that would never happen. She was positive they weren’t going out again.
Chelsey didn’t hold the legs comment against him. It wasn’t the first time someone admired her legs. Running track in middle school, high school, and then getting a full scholarship to run track in college, had a lot to do with that. With the success of her track experience, she had dreams of working her way up to Olympic status. Unfortunately, after back-to-back injuries to her hamstring, as well as several calf strains, she let the dream fall away. Despite that disappointment, she still made it a point to jog every day, determined to stay in shape.
As they made their way to the parking structure next door, Terrance linked his fingers with hers. Though she was a hand-holder, it was weird holding his hand. Out of all the men she had ever dated, Parker had been the only touchy-feely one. Public displays of affection were his thing, except around their family and friends. Both, for their individual reasons, agreed that they’d wanted to wait to go public with their relationship. Now that they were done, that decision had been a good one.
Twenty minutes later, Terrance pulled up to the townhome she was renting and parked in front of the one-car garage.
Chelsea glanced at the porch, realizing she hadn't turned on the outside light. Good thing a nearby streetlamp and the single bulb over the garage emitted enough light to see the stairs but not much else.
Now came the awkward part of the evening—trying to get away without having to kiss him goodnight. That was something else he wasn’t that good at—kissing.
Terrance climbed out of the car and hurried around, opened her door and helped her out. One thing she couldn’t complain about—he was always a perfect gentleman.
“Thank you,” she said and headed up the walkway with Terrance close by her side.
The darkness had her taking her time up the stairs to keep from falling. When they made it to her front door, Chelsey stuck her key into the lock but didn’t push open the door.
“Terrance, thanks for a lovely evening,” she said, trying to sound chipper as she turned to face him. “The restaurant and food were great.”
“What? You’re not going to invite me in?” he asked, closing the distance between them. “I was thinking that maybe we could have a nightcap, and then see where that leads.”
Chelsey placed her hand on his chest to stop him from getting any closer. “Not tonight. It’s been a long week, but thanks for dinner.”
He flashed her a smile and slid his hand to her waist, drawing her closer. She didn’t protest, figuring she’d give him a quick kiss good night before sending him on his way.
“I enjoy spending time with you,” he said, and lowered his head and moved in to kiss her.
But a noise and sudden movement to her right made Chelsey freeze. Then she gasped when the muzzle of a 9mm gun came into view and pressed against Terrance’s temple.
Heart practically pounding out of her chest, she didn’t move, but she tried to weigh her options. Could she disarm the person without Terrence getting shot?
“Put your mouth on any part of her body, and it will be the last thing you do.” The growly voice was low and lethal.
Chelsey’s initial panic was quickly replaced with anger when she realized it was Parker. How the hell had he snuck up on them without her seeing him? Then again, with the light out, there was a blind spot in the corner where he could’ve been positioned without being spotted.
Her gaze darted to Terrance, and she cringed at the fear she saw in his huge eyes. His hands were slightly raised in surrender.
“Dammit! Put the gun away,” she spat, and glared toward where Parker stood, though he was still partially hidden in the shadow. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
Her pulse pounded loudly in her ear as she forced her heart rate to drop down to normal. This man had clearly lost his mind. What pissed her off even more was that he didn’t lower his weapon.
“Pa…” she started to say his name but stopped herself. Though Terrance had a right to know who held a gun on him, he wouldn’t get that information from her. “Would you please lower your weapon?” she said.
Instead of doing what she asked, Parker said, “How well do you know Mr. Terrance Burton?”