Chapter 13
Another bad date.
Sinking into the back seat of the silver SUV with Orson at the wheel and soft music coming through the speakers, Bruno inserted his phone’s earpiece and dialed Marissa’s number, ready to give her the review of his time with Casey.
“Hello, Bruno.”
Right away, like the night before, frustration oozed from his body. Somehow she soothed the irritation from his unpleasant experience with Casey, and a smile touched his lips. Something about her voice was so… calming.
“You know what I was thinking? You haven’t called me Mr. Santana in a while. You’ve officially done away with the formality.” He kept his voice low so Orson couldn’t overhear the conversation.
“I learn to adapt to all my clients’ personal preferences.”
“The mark of a good matchmaker, I’m sure.”
“Of course. One of the best in the business.”
He smiled. She was such a smart ass.
“Where are you?” Bruno asked, watching the buildings go by.
“At home. I went down the street to pick up dinner, and I’ll be sinking my teeth into a delicious cheeseburger and fries very soon.”
“Don’t tell me you bought fast food.”
“What can I say, I was craving a burger,” Marissa said.
“Marissa, I’m a chef with several restaurants in town. Now that we’re a team, you have an open invitation to visit any of them to enjoy a free meal.”
“I had no idea that was an option.”
“Now you do, I hope you’ll take advantage of the offer.”
“You say that now, but you might regret making such an offer to me,” she warned.
“Why?”
“You’ve never seen me eat. I’m a foodie. I have quite an appetite.”
The last word made his dick jump. “I would love to see what kind of appetite you have.”
“Maybe one day,” she said, completely unaware of the direction his mind had gone in. “Now, tell me about your date with Casey.”
With reluctance, Bruno shifted his attention. “I’m on my way home right now. She and I parted ways about fifteen minutes ago. The date did not go well.”
“What happened?”
She sounded disappointed, and he was almost sorry that he was disappointing her. Then he decided he wanted to see her face and all her reactions when he gave the summary.
“I’m hanging up. I’m about to call you on video.”
“What? No. Why?” she sounded panicked.
“Answer the phone.”
“Bruno—”
He hung up and redialed. The phone rang for such a long time, he half expected her not to answer. When she did, he saw she was in the kitchen with a large white bag on the counter. He was surprised, however, by her appearance.
“You look… stunning,” he remarked.
She wore a gray oversized T-shirt that draped off one shoulder, revealing a black bra. Instead of the bun or loose tresses, her hair was in a puffy Afro. A deep blue scarf acted as a headband to keep the hair from her makeup-free face. No lipstick, no eyeliner, no nothing. Marissa in her natural state. He couldn’t take his eyes off her.
“Stunning?” she repeated, with a self-conscious laugh. “Today is wash day, and I do not look my best. This is what I look like in my down time.” She shrugged.
“That suits you.”
She arched an eyebrow. “You don’t have to lie.”
“I meant what I said.”
“With the wild, uncombed Afro and everything?” she asked sweetly.
“You forget, I have Black sisters. Seeing your hair like that is nothing new to me. I’ve seen straight hair, curly hair, braids, and head wraps. Your natural hair is beautiful to me.”
“Oh. Thank you.” Marissa lowered her gaze.
Bruno was certain if her complexion was lighter, he’d see a blush on her cheeks.
She began to pull items from the bag. “Are you going to tell me what happened on the date?”
“Where do I begin? Casey and I had a somewhat good conversation—at first. I expected the experience to be the same as at the mixer when we seemed aligned. We connected. She had a great sense of humor. She laughed at my jokes and told some of her own.”
“I’m bracing myself for the ‘but,’” Marissa said cautiously, placing a fry between her lips.
Bruno lost his train of thought for a second. She had a full lower lip and slightly thinner upper lip. Both curved and distracting, they looked pillowy soft.
“We weren’t a good fit,” he continued.
“Could you provide more details? Did the conversation become difficult at any point? Was she rude or unfriendly? I need specifics, the way you gave me for Deanne. Not only because the information would help me narrow down the options where your future mate is concerned, but also because feedback would be beneficial for Casey, to let her know where she could improve for the next date.”
“She was neither rude nor unfriendly. Casey is a liar.”
She frowned. “What do you mean? How do you know she lied?”
Bruno relayed the examples, and her eyes widened.
“I’m sorry. She must have been trying to connect with you.”
“I believe so.”
“What else?”
“How do I say this? She was a little more aggressive than I expect or desire at this point in my life.”
“How so?”
“She told me that she swallows.”
Marissa coughed and pounded her chest.
“That was also my reaction,” Bruno said dryly.
She stared at him. “How did that come up?”
He explained the lead up to the sexual come on.
“Well, um… this is good information. I appreciate you sharing your feedback with me. I’ll be sure to convey—in the kindest way possible—your comments to Casey. I’m no longer sure if she’s the right kind of candidate for our male clients. Lying is definitely problematic. By the way, I have some bad news about Sasha,” she said, a pained expression on her face. “Her ex-fiancé came back in the picture. That was the ‘scheduling conflict.’ He wants her back, so she asked to be removed from the list.”
“Too bad.”
Was it really, though? That seemed like the right response, but Bruno wasn’t so sure. He liked Sasha well enough, but at the moment he wasn’t particularly anxious to see her again.
“We’re just getting started. We could have another sit down and discuss options.”
Hmm. That idea appealed to him. It seemed like an eternity had passed since he last saw Marissa in person, when in fact it had only been a little over a week.
“We could do that but not in your office. We should meet at my restaurant in Decatur, The Wine Cork. It’s closed for renovations at the moment, but I’ll cook for you.”
“No, that’s not necessary.”
“You said you’re a foodie, and I’m a chef. Surely you don’t plan to turn down a free meal.”
She pursed her lips, and he waited.
“You drive a hard bargain.”
He let loose a soft laugh. “I have a feeling that I didn’t have to try very hard.”
She fought a smile and lost, her dark eyes lighting up and wrinkling at the corners in the most becoming way. “All right, you win. You’ve twisted my arm. I should probably see you in your element anyway.”
“I promise I’ll make the trip to Decatur worth your while. How about Tuesday night?”
“Can we plan for Thursday night instead? That’ll give me time to pull together more options for you.”
“Not a problem.”
“Make sure you bring your A-game. I’m expecting big things from a man with three Michelin stars.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said with a chuckle, enjoying the banter with her.
“I need to write my notes. I’ll let you go now.”
“Good night, Marissa.” Reluctantly, Bruno hung up, hating their conversation had to end.
Marissa was an attractive woman with a witty sense of humor and warm personality. Why didn’t she have a man in her life? She should.
Then there was her pesky rule about not getting involved with clients. Perhaps he could change her mind. He did love a challenge…
His body stirred with the thought of tracing her curves with his hands—and his tongue. At any rate, he looked forward to cooking for her. He didn’t know what he’d make yet, but he had plenty of time to think of a dish between now and then. Probably something simple but flavorful.
“I hope you don’t mind my saying, Mr. Santana, but tonight’s date must have gone well,” Orson said.
Bruno’s eyes connected with the driver’s in the rear-view mirror. “Actually, the date did not go well. The woman I met turned out to be dishonest and aggressive in a way I didn’t find particularly appealing.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I thought the date went well, since I saw you smiling and laughing with her just now. And you still have a smile on your face.”
Bruno frowned in confusion. Then he realized the driver thought Marissa had been his date. “Are you talking about my conversation on the phone? That was a different woman—my matchmaker. I was recapping the date for her.”
“Ahh, I see. Too bad your date didn’t go as well as the recap.” Orson returned his attention to the road.
Long afterward, as he watched the nighttime scenery go by, Bruno registered his good mood continued to linger. All because of Marissa. Orson was right.
He enjoyed discussing the dates with her much more than he enjoyed going on the actual dates.