Anastasia Chapter 4
Sam and I were out to dinner. Tonight was the fourth time we’d done something together, counting that first night at my parents' house. Sam had been busy at work, so we hadn’t had coffee or anything last week. Tonight was the first chance we’d had to see each other.
My family had pushed for details after our coffee date. When they discovered we’d gone out for lunch together, it got worse. Sam had apparently told Arish about both times. While a part of me wished he’d kept his mouth shut, it wasn’t as if we should slink around hiding.
I liked Sam. We had fun when we were together.
And I admit, I was flattered by a charming, successful, and good-looking man like him showing an interest in me.
Sam was courtly. He opened doors and pulled out chairs.
We talked equally about our work, likes, dislikes, and our families.
He wasn’t one to monopolize the time with talk of only himself.
In between our outings, we’d texted on and off.
And I found there was a spark between us. And if left as is, it might grow into something more—the way my family wanted. And according to him, his family wanted the same. They asked when he planned to bring me to meet them. We tried not to raise expectations on either side.
What weighed on me was that, while I liked him, enjoyed our time together, and found him physically attractive, he didn’t preoccupy my mind and my nights the way Reign Caldwell did. God, four sessions with that man and I was more obsessed.
Reign continued to have me treat his back twice a week.
During those sessions, we talked and got to know each other a little.
I knew he had a younger brother and had lost his parents when he was eighteen.
Reign knew I had Arish, Veena, Devika, Mom, Dad, my in-laws, and the kids as my nearest family.
I explained a little about how old-fashioned my family was.
He told me how entitled and spoiled his brother was, and how much he regretted not stopping his enabling long ago.
Reign would sneak into my thoughts when I was least expecting him, or when I was working hard not to let him.
At night, when I was home alone, drifting off to sleep was the hardest thing for me.
From the first time we met, I was overcome by him.
Not only did I enjoy our discussions, but I also enjoyed his physical presence.
Reign Caldwell electrified me, unlike any man I've ever met, including Sam. I was drawn to his looks, his physique, and more. I knew he was thirty-five years old while I was twenty-eight. And he was six feet three, while I was five feet seven and a half inches tall. I preferred a man to be a few inches taller than me. His hair was truly black, not dark brown like mine. He had it cut so it was longer on top and shorter on the sides and back. The volume on top practically begged to have fingers run through it. At his temples, there was the beginning of silver. Reign’s face was half covered in a short mustache and beard flecked with traces of the same silver.
His complexion was olive-toned. His oval face was very masculine with a slightly flared Italian nose.
His eyes, rather than the expected brown, were a dark green topped with thick, bold, slightly arched eyebrows.
After having my hands on parts of his body, I could attest to his physical fitness.
His wide shoulders, prominent pecs, and muscular arms tapered to a more slender middle, though his stomach was ridged with muscles.
His hips were lean, but his legs, from hip to ankle, were perfectly proportioned and muscled.
He took care of his body, and it showed. And he had an amazingly muscular ass.
My question about whether he had chest hair or not was answered during our last session.
To visualize his symmetry and manipulate the muscles more effectively, I had him remove his shirt.
I almost swallowed my tongue. I had to keep my mouth shut to prevent myself from drooling.
His skin was smooth, and the only real hair was the thin, dark, happy trail that ran from above his belly button to disappear below the waistband of his pants.
His arms were covered in a soft covering of dark hair.
At night, while lying alone in my bed. I often got lost in fantasizing about the rest of him. As much as I tried to stop myself, I dreamed about what his cock was like. Would it be thick? Long? Or a combination of both? I had no doubts that he knew how to satisfy a woman in bed.
I felt guilty picturing him as anything other than my patient. I felt a tad disloyal to Sam, but why should I? We were nothing more than friends. Just because my family had set us up didn’t mean we were meant to be together.
It was this guilt that had me jump at Sam’s offer to go out to dinner tonight.
I thought I should give him more attention.
He took me to a high-end steakhouse that he swore by.
Sam and I hadn’t disagreed on food so far, so I went with his recommendation.
We’d been here for twenty minutes. It was a busy place.
Our drinks and food had been ordered. The drinks were served.
At the moment, we were enjoying the hot, homemade sourdough bread they served as we caught up on our work week.
I laughed at his hilarious recounting of a new client who came in making unrealistic demands of what she expected from a lawyer. I was trying to catch my breath, so I scanned the surrounding tables, hoping it would help. My laugh turned to a coughing fit.
“Are you okay, Stasia?” Sam asked worriedly.
I nodded but kept coughing. The reason wasn’t that I was choking. It was due to the dark green eyes from across the dining room staring back at me. Reign sat there with his brow furrowed. Seated next to him was a woman, and across from them was another man.
The woman laughed as she looked up at Reign. Her hand was resting on his arm. Immediately, my stomach dropped. I glanced away and back at Sam. I curled my hands until my short nails bit into my palms. I refused to allow myself to look at him again.
Why did the sight of him with a woman disturb me so much? Reign Caldwell wasn’t mine. Just because he hadn’t mentioned a wife or girlfriend didn’t mean he didn’t have one. As for the guy with them, it could be a friend of the couple.
“Do you need me to get you something? You look pale,” Sam asked. His hand came across the table. I automatically slid mine across to take it. I smiled at him.
“No, I’m fine. I just forgot how to swallow for a second. I guess this will be the last time you take me out to eat,” I teased.
His smile made me grin back.
“It’ll take a lot more than that to make me never ask you out again, Stasia. I enjoy our time together too much to give it up for such a silly reason. I’m afraid you’re stuck with me.”
I squeezed his hand as I replied, “Stuck it is then.”
It took nearly every ounce of restraint I had not to turn my head to look at Reign, but I did it.
A few minutes later, our food was served.
We both exclaimed over how good it was. I had a seafood platter, and Sam had the steak and lobster.
We ate more than we talked. The food was great. It didn’t take long to consume it.
Suddenly, my breath hitched when a shadow fell over our table. I knew before looking upward who it was. When I met Reign’s intense eyes, I fought to remain breathing. He beat me to saying anything.
“Good evening, Anastasia. What a surprise to run into you here. You didn’t mention you were going out this weekend.”
Sam straightened and closely studied Reign.
“Hello, Reign. No, I didn’t mention it. I see we both had the same great idea. Have you been here before?” I asked.
“I have. You?” Reign countered.
“No, this is my first time. Sam has, though. It was his idea that we come here,” I stated, smiling back at Sam.
“It was. Hello, I’m Sam. You are?” My date asked, holding his hand out to Reign.
Reign shook it as he answered. “I’m Reign. Do you come here often?”
“Fairly often. I knew Stasia would love it. She’s into so many different foods. Do you mind if I ask how you two know each other? I don’t recall her mentioning a Reign,” Sam observed.
“I’m her patient. I came to her for chiropractic help two weeks ago and met her. She came highly recommended. I’d never been to a chiropractor before, so she took pity on me.”
On the surface, there was nothing odd about his remark. But if you listened closely to the tone, there was this bitey inflection. I hoped Sam didn’t hear it. Or maybe I was imagining it, and there was no tone other than basic cordiality.
“I’ve heard nothing but great things about her practice. I’ve not had the pleasure of her talented hands on me. Makes a guy want to get hurt a little to have an excuse. Are you here alone?” Sam asked.
My body tensed when he said the part about my hands on him. Surely, he wasn’t being suggestive. He might flirt a bit and tease, but there was no reason for him to let Reign hear it. My gaze flickered back to Reign. I swore his mouth tightened, then he smiled, making me believe I imagined it.
“No, I’m not here alone. I’m with special company over at that table,” Reign said, pointing to where the man and woman sat watching us.
Curiosity was written on both their faces. The woman wore a slight frown along with her curiosity. Undoubtedly, she disliked her date, her man, speaking to another woman. The man had a speculative look on his face.
“Anastasia is an amazing woman and a talented chiropractor. After four sessions, she has me feeling close to normal. I just wanted to stop by and say hello. I’ll let you get back to—well, it appears it might be dessert time.
I highly recommend the chocolate lava cake.
Enjoy. I’ll see you next week on Tuesday, Anastasia. Sam, glad we met.”
Without another word, Reign walked back to his party. As soon as he sat, the woman’s hand went back to his arm. An intense conversation broke out. I forced myself to turn away. It wasn’t any of my business.
“Stasia, are you okay?” Sam asked.
I looked at him. “Yeah, I am. Why do you ask?”
“I had to say your name three times before you responded,” Sam stated.
“I’m sorry. I was just surprised to see him. What a coincidence.” I scrambled to cover.
“Don’t you often run into your patients in public?” he asked.
“Sometimes, but for some reason, I never imagined I’d bump into Reign. Oh well, let’s get back to our dinner. What do you say? Dessert?” I asked, wiggling my eyebrows.
Sam laughed loudly, but when he replied, his voice was low. “Hell yeah. You think I’m saying no to sweets? Let’s see what they have before we make our decision.”
As I nodded in agreement, Sam raised his hand, which brought our waiter to us. After the dessert listing was requested, we took a few minutes to make our selection and place our order. With it underway, we fell back into conversation.
It was hard to give Sam my undivided attention.
It took willpower. I thought I smiled, responded, and laughed in all the right places.
When dessert came, it wasn’t a disappointment.
We’d ended up ordering the lava cake Reign had recommended.
The waiter assured us it was big enough for two, so we split it.
As we ate, Sam and I got into a mock battle with our spoons.
We accused the other of eating more than their share.
I relaxed as we teased each other. When the check came, Sam insisted on paying it.
He reminded me that I’d gotten it last time.
My argument that the place had been significantly cheaper didn’t sway him, so I gave up.
Minutes later, as we walked away from our table, Sam had his hand resting on my lower back.
We had to pass by Reign’s table. His party was still there.
I gave a barely there nod and a slight smile as we passed.
The man and woman nodded and smiled back.
Reign didn’t smile. He merely dipped his chin.
I felt like his gaze burned into my back as we left.
However, I had no idea why he would do that.
The reality was that I was the one secretly obsessed with him.
Reign Caldwell had no clue. Tonight showed me I had to get my fascination with him under control.
I had a great guy standing next to me who might be the one.
I couldn’t mess this up over unrequited lust for Reign.
I still wasn’t sure if Sam was the one for me, but he had come the closest. I owed us both my full attention to find out.