Chapter 2 – Mindy #2
I have no idea how it happened because the tables in the back section have been occupied all evening, but somehow, five minutes later, we’re seated in one of the round booths with navy velvet upholstery. There’s simply something commanding about Joe.
Need a waitress? Boom. One appears. Want a quieter booth? Snap. There’s a coveted booth suddenly available.
“Do you always get what you want?” I ask, stirring my drink with a tiny straw.
Joe’s eyes drop down my body, but it doesn’t give me the ick like when Duck Face did it. His gaze returns to mine, and his brown eyes twinkle. “Not yet.”
Fuck. Me. That was a really sexy answer.
“Very smooth, Joe,” I say, and his forehead furrows for a second before the wrinkles flatten. Yeah, his name is definitely not Joe.
“Tell me something about yourself, Minnie.”
My mind flips through all the ways I could answer that open-ended request. I could tell him my occupation or where I live or any number of things, but I don’t. I tell him something most people find weird about me.
“I collect salt and pepper shakers.”
His eyebrows rise, and I want to kick myself, but he angles his body toward me like he’s actually interested. “What’s your favorite set?”
A smile rips across my face. “A set of cabbage-shaped ones. They were my grandmother’s.
” My teeth sink into my bottom lip. “It’s vintage.
They have the most intricate details painted on them, like you can see every little leaf and vein, the kinds of details you don’t see on mass-produced items nowadays. ”
Joe places his arm around the back of my seat, his fingers resting lightly on my shoulder. “I love that. Do you know who the artist was?”
I nod. “My grandmother’s father made them as a gift for her, so he would have been my great-grandfather.
It was her very first set and what made her start collecting them.
He even engraved her initials on the bottom, J.E.
” I pick up my drink and take a sip. “I have all of her collection, which I inherited when she died. I was ten, and since then, I’ve added more. ”
He strokes his jaw. “Besides the cabbages, what is your favorite set?”
I laugh. “It’s completely ridiculous.”
Joe’s fingertips toy with a strand of my hair. “Maybe I like ridiculous.”
Shaking my head, I say, “I found some cheap ones shaped like a dog and a fire hydrant. The dog has his leg lifted.”
Joe bursts out laughing, and I join him. “That is ridiculous.”
“I think I like them because they make me smile every time I look at them.”
“You have a wonderful smile,” he says, his voice dropping lower. It’s much quieter back here, some of the noise buffered by a half-wall, so I can clearly hear the rasp around his words.
Then Joe’s hand is on the back of my neck, thumb on one side and fingers on the other.
It’s a dominant move, and I don’t mind it one iota.
He squeezes and pulls me forward, meeting me halfway for another searing kiss.
His other hand rests on my bare shoulder, softly kneading as he ignites some connection between my mouth and my clit.
The way this man kisses conjures images of sweaty bodies, tangled sheets, and bad decisions. Or good decisions, depending on your perspective.
“Hi, did—” a cheery female voice says before stopping abruptly. “Oh, um…”
Ignoring the interruption, Joe continues to stroke my tongue with his, languid and covetous. I feel his hand leave my shoulder, and I peep one eye open to see him holding his finger up as if to say, “Hold please.”
When he finally decides he’s done seducing the absolute fuck out of my mouth, he pulls back and licks his lips before turning to the waitress standing beside the table.
“Sorry, but when a man is kissing a woman this beautiful, there’s no way he can stop until he’s had his fill,” he offers with an apologetic smile that’s not really all that apologetic. His arm is fully around my shoulders now, his hand possessive on my upper arm.
He’s so damn arrogant, and it makes me wonder if he’d be the same way in bed… demanding and audacious. I think I’d like to find out.
The poor woman picks her jaw up off the floor and visibly swoons. Yeah, join the club, sister.
“I totally understand, sir. Your girlfriend is gorgeous.” Her eyes flick to me, a mixture of admiration and jealousy. “I just wanted to see if you needed anything else.”
I’m not sure where this attentive side of her was before. Maybe my lack of broad shoulders and a penis have something to do with it.
Joe glances down at our glasses. “Bring us another round next time you pass by,” he tells her before focusing his attention on me. “Another cosmo, baby? Or something different?”
The image of him doubles as my eyes cross briefly at his use of baby. Never really been a fan of that particular term of endearment, to be honest, but when Joe says it in that deep baritone, it gives me tingles between my legs.
“Another cosmo is fine,” I eke out.
When she departs, Joe scrapes his teeth over his bottom lip. “You know, I fibbed a little to that waitress.”
My high spirits take a nosedive. “Oh?”
His mouth crooks up on one side. “Yeah, I’m not sure I’ll ever get my fill of your lips.”
Dammit. In the words of that guy from the old Eddie Murphy movie, Coming to America, “That boy good.” A little too good, but I can’t help but be charmed by him.
By the time the server comes back with our order, we’ve finished our current drinks. “So, Joe,” I say, “I told you something about me…” I let the statement hang in the air without asking the question.
He takes a long, slow sip of his scotch, his eyes hung onto mine. “I guess I should reciprocate,” he assumes before licking his lips. “Hmmm, I don’t have any cool collections or anything like you.”
My heart warms a little because he called my collection cool. I had a roommate in culinary school who called them junk.
“It doesn’t have to be a collection.” I ruminate for a second. “What’s something you’d really like to do that you haven’t told anyone else?”
Joe chuckles. “Ah, the lady wants to know my secrets.” He lowers his eyes, watching his hand turn the short glass on the wooden tabletop before exhaling. “I want to go to Disney World.”
Okay, that surprises me. He doesn’t exactly seem like the type to wear Mickey ears and ride Space Mountain. He’s too… refined or something.
“You’ve never been before?”
He shrugs, appearing almost embarrassed by his admission.
“I went as a kid, but I think I’d like to go back as an adult.
Not for the rides or anything.” Joe blinks up at me, his brown eyes holding a touch of vulnerability.
“I want to walk around Epcot and eat all the food and drink all the drinks. Crepes in France, Neapolitan pizza in Italy, sashimi in Japan. And I want to watch the fireworks at the end of the night with a nice glass of wine.”
I cover his hand with my own. “I think that sounds really fun.”
Joe flips his hand over and links his fingers with mine. “You don’t think it sounds stupid? Experiencing all that stuff in an amusement park instead of in the actual countries?”
I shake my head. “Not at all. It would be like… seeing the magic of Disney through adult eyes instead of the eyes of a child. Totally different experience.” One of my eyebrows cocks up. “Unless your parents let you have wine when you were there as a little kid?”
He laughs, and it’s hearty and deep. “They definitely didn’t.” Joe rolls his lips between his teeth, and then a hint of a smile appears. “Thank you for getting me. I’ve never told anyone that before, not even my brothers.”
Tiny little butterflies erupt in my belly. “Just start saving up a little each month, and I bet you’ll have enough for a trip in a couple years.”
His face pinkens, and his grin holds secrets I can’t fathom. “I’ll definitely consider starting a vacation fund.” The stroke of his thumb against my hand makes me wonder what it would feel like between my legs. Then he surprises me. “Would you go with me?”
Surely he’s just messing around. We only met less than an hour ago. There’s no way he wants me to go to Florida with him, but I play along. “Oh, for sure. No way I’m missing out on crepes and pizza.”
His smile is dazzling. “Good, it’s a date then.”
“You mentioned brothers earlier. How many do you have?” I ask.
“Two. They’re twins, and I have a half sister. How about you?”
I shake my head. “Only child. Are you close with your family?”
“I’m closest with my brothers because my sister is a lot younger than us.” He takes another sip of his drink. “One of my brothers is getting married tomorrow.”
My eyes widen. “What? Are you supposed to be at his bachelor party right now?”
Joe leans forward and nips at my ear. “I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be right now.”
Coming from any other man, that would probably be cheesy, but from Joe, it gives me a swoony feeling down deep in my core.
Turning my face, I hold his cheek and stare at him.
The man could be a male model. His flawless skin is olive colored, setting off brown eyes the shade of dark chocolate.
A perfect Roman nose only adds to the symmetry of his face, and if his jaw wasn’t so strong and masculine, he would be considered pretty.
I have no idea what he’s doing with me, but I’m not going to complain about it.
Taking the initiative, I brush his lips with mine, and an approving noise rumbles up from his chest. And then we’re making out again.
I’ve never been one for public displays of affection, but from the first time I tasted his mouth, I’ve been surrounded by a bubble of desire.
He makes me feel like we’re the only two people in the world.
“Thank you,” I say when we pull back from the kiss.
His eyebrows pinch together. “What are you thanking me for, Minnie?”
I chew on the corner of my mouth, tasting the remnants of his scotch there. “For being here with me.”
He shakes his head like he doesn’t understand. “I should be thanking you. This is the best date I’ve ever had.”