Chapter 4 #2
“I only know what I saw yesterday. But I’m the head of a corporation that was started generations ago, before the Civil War, called Boseman Unlimited.
We started in industrialization but have since moved into import and export.
I went to law school and studied business law so I could run the company as it was preordained before I was born. ”
“You had no choice?”
“Not really.” I brush it off and slide my hand along her smooth thigh. “I wanted to do it, though. I just didn’t expect to do it when I was still in college. When my parents were killed in an accident, I had to take over the company and the care of my sister, who was still in high school.”
She touches my cheek, offering comfort. “I’m so sorry. If I lost my parents, I wouldn’t know what to do.”
“I just did what I had to. But now I’ve expanded Boseman Unlimited into investments and tripled our portfolio. Now it’s your turn. Why aquatic life?”
She blushes as she drops her hand, and I miss the contact. I keep my hand on her thigh and wrap my other around her delicate fingers.
“I’ve always felt an affinity to the ocean. We’d travel to the Caribbean every spring and Hawaii in the winter. My parents made sure my sister and I had a full education along with travel experiences. One summer we went to Greece, and the Mediterranean became my second favorite place in the world.”
“What’s your first favorite?”
“Bondi Beach.”
“You really have traveled a lot.”
“My parents were two of the top realtors in Atlanta and now run several agencies. They travel the world when they aren’t ordering people around or begging my sister and me to give them grandbabies.
” The blush deepens at the last part, and she covers her mouth as if she’s overshared.
“Oops, sorry. I’m awkward at small talk.
I shouldn’t talk about kids on our first date. ”
“I like it.” I reassure her. The image of her round with my baby turns me on so much that I shift in my seat.
The sommelier comes to the table and talks Daphne into a nonalcoholic drink that pairs with the first course.
As dinner progresses, I tell her about Lydia and her kids. I explain how I ended up on the board of directors at the aquarium. She tells me she studied marine biology in college and earned her master’s while working at an aquarium in Atlanta. Her specialty is octopus and other cephalopods.
“Why octopus?”
She gets a faraway look before answering.
“One summer we went to the Sunshine Coast of Canada. My father did the research on where to find an octopus, and we spent time searching the beach until we found the right area. And there it was. I fell in love instantly with the misunderstood creature. The Pacific octopus isn’t endangered, but there’s no precise number for them.
I was also fascinated on that trip when we saw several otters, North American river otters and a few Northern sea otters.
They became my second favorite, so when I moved here and Lyla said I could cross-train to the otters, I was beside myself. ”
I love watching her face when she talks about her passions. “I’m going to assume you like to travel.”
“Oh, I do, but I’m also a homebody. I have my girls, and if they can’t go with me, I don’t like to go.
Right now, my parents are bugging me to spend some time with them in Egypt, but I can’t with the new job.
They wanted me to come before I accepted the position with the aquarium. I was struggling in Atlanta.”
“What happened?” I ask her as I take a bite of my rack of lamb. Judson outdid himself, as usual. The meat is tender and succulent. I know partially what she’s referring to, but I want her to tell me.
“It’s in the past,” she says, brushing it off, then moans around a bite of her meat.
I lean into her space. “Little girl, you keep making sounds like that, I’m going to deck my best friend for causing them, then I’m going to take you to his office to see how wet you are.” My voice is low and gruff in her ear.
She shivers, and a fine dusting of hair rises along her neck. Goose flesh prickles her skin, turning it rosy as her blush spreads down into her cleavage.
“Fuck, baby, you’re turned on by that.”
She nods before taking another bite, holding in the moan this time. I smirk as I lean back and finish my meal. We continue to talk and get to know each other. Dessert is served, and we share it. I’m not much of a sweets guy. I take a sip of my brandy while watching her enjoy her food.
“It’s nice to see a woman like food and not just salads,” Judson says as he walks up to us.
“It was all so amazing. Thank you.” She looks between both of us before returning to her delicate bites.
“You’re fucking lucky, dude,” Judson says, shaking his head.
“One look, buddy.” That’s all I say, and he nods before walking off when one of his staff calls for him.
I take her home and want to stay and spend more time with her.
But if I do, I’ll bury myself in her body, and she’s still not ready for that.
Totten parks the car so I can help her take care of the dogs before I leave.
I tell her not to take them out again tonight, but she tells me not to worry because she has her taser.
The same taser I took out of her hand with ease.
“I was tipsy last night. Besides, I’ve been kickboxing for years.”
I press her up against the wall and kiss the shit out of her before heading home to stroke one out while thinking of her.