Five First Dates

by Erin McCarthy

  Except he slept on the couch in my apartment and he watched my child.

  Yeah, that wasn’t complicated at all.

  Also, the whole point of having my friends choose dates for me was because I sucked at picking out men and I attached easily. Like, you boned me, and I was half in love. We all knew that.

  So, what made me think it made one single ounce of sense to have sex with Maddox?

  I sent a group text, still in bed, mildly freaking out. Or a lot freaking out.

  HELP.

  That should get a response quickly. Felicia answered right away.

  What’s up?

  Can anyone meet for coffee in like an hour, two tops? I NEED to talk.

  Isla and Felicia agreed to meet me. Leah and Dakota were silent and I realized they were probably both still sleeping. Dakota had been up when I was texting her at midnight and tended to be a night owl anyway. Leah might be at work at the diner where she served breakfast to tourists.

  Sully was miraculously still asleep. I checked to make sure he was still breathing, which he was. I tiptoed to the door, carefully pulling it open so it didn’t squeak. Then I tiptoed down the hallway, which was all of about three feet, hoping I could get some water without Maddox hearing me. He didn’t have to leave for the shop for another hour, so I was hoping to escape like a total coward before he woke up.

  But my head was in the fridge reaching for my water bottle when I felt a very large, very masculine hand slide across my ass. I stood up so fast I hit my head on the top of the refrigerator. “Oh, shit!”

  “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.” Maddox leaned against the counter, looking sleepy and sexy.

  And naked. Very, very naked.

  In the light of day, his body was even more of a wonder to me than it had been the night before. So much hardness.

  “I thought you’d still be sleeping.” I held up my reusable water bottle I kept chilling in the fridge. “I was thirsty.”

  “Me too.” He took the bottle from me and took a long sip. “Ah. Thanks.”

  He had me trapped between the open refrigerator and the wall. “Excuse me.” I gestured that I needed to get past him.

  Maddox shifted about one inch. There was no way I could get by him without touching him. He didn’t look like he was doing it on purpose. He looked like he was too sleepy to move much. But I was starting to realize that Maddox didn’t do much of anything without a purpose.

  He tried to hand me the water bottle back but I said, “Keep it. I’m going to meet my friends at the coffee shop in an hour. I’m going to jump in the shower now.” You know, wash the smell of sex off of me. “I hope Sully wakes up soon. But not too soon.” I gave a nervous laugh.

  I was nervous. The kitchen was cozy, he was naked. I couldn’t help but think about how good he’d been with his tongue, and how amazing it had felt to have his thick cock inside me. I’d missed sex in general and that had been great sex. I couldn’t ask for a better way to break my celibacy streak. Yet I didn’t know what the hell was supposed to happen now though. I had zero experience with this situation.

  “If he’s still sleeping, I can hang around until he’s up, then bring him to you at the coffee shop.”

  “Aren’t you going to Rebel Ink today?” I asked.

  “We’re doing late afternoon to late night. We’re filming a birthday segment for Travis. I need to be there at four. I probably won’t be home until two or three in the morning.”

  “Oh, okay. Fun.” I was torn between wanting him home that night and being relieved I didn’t have to have an accurate moment wondering if we were having sex again or not. “Are you sure you don’t want to go back to bed, then?”

  He shook his head and gave me a smile. “I can’t sleep. Keep thinking about the way you feel underneath me.”

  My nipples hardened, which was ridiculous since they hadn’t even been in play the night before. My mouth grew hot and I fought with everything inside me not to look down and see if he had a hard cock. Even with the open refrigerator blasting cold air on my backside, I was still feeling very warm.

  I failed miserably. I looked down. Yep. Big dick.

  Clearing my throat, I nodded. “It was definitely nice.”

  “Nice? Fuck nice.” Maddox slid his hand around my waist. “If you thought it was just nice, I need another turn up to bat. I want a home run.”

  He’d already hit one but I was trying to stay cool. Which for me was damn near impossible. I felt nervous, but I also felt giddy and ecstatic that he had so easily found all my buttons and had pushed them so thoroughly. I wanted to twirl and laugh and grin, but at the same time panic because this was all wrong. Such a bad idea.

  So being cool was not easy for me.

  “I’m just trying to figure out how my sex life has become a sports metaphor,” I said, in all seriousness.

  He laughed softly. Pulling me against him, he dropped his gaze to my mouth. “You want straight talk?”

  “I’m confused enough that yes, that would be very welcome.” That was the complete and honest truth. I was super confused about what was happening and how to act.

  “I want to fuck you this afternoon before I leave since I won’t be home until late tonight. Is that straightforward enough?”

  Um, yes. Everything down south went wet. I nodded. “That was very clear, thank you.

  “You’re welcome. What time does Sully nap?”

  “One.”

  “Perfect.” He let me go and shifted out of my way. “It’s a date.”

  * * *

  “That’s not a date,” I said to Felicia, leaning forward to get closer to her. “That’s a sex appointment. Oh my God, what am I doing?” I groaned. “This is so bad.”

  Felicia shook her head. “I thought you weren’t going to shag your nanny. What happened?”

  I pressed my hands against my hot cheeks. It might be November but I was boiling from the inside out. “I feel like this coffee shop needs to turn their heat down.” I sipped my chai tea. “I went out with Dakota’s friend and apparently, the way she sold this blind date to him was to tell him I was thirsty for dick. He showed up fully prepared to have sex within like the first twenty minutes. He didn’t even offer to buy me a drink. So I came home super early and super annoyed and was telling Maddox about it and… I don’t know.” I didn’t. Somewhere in that brief conversation the night before in the kitchen I might have told him I really, really wanted to have sex. “It was an accident.”

  Isla raised her eyebrows skeptically. She was wearing a thick knit scarf and she fiddled with it. “One, it’s not hot in here. People keep opening the door and blasting us with cold air. Two, you cannot call sex an accident. An accident is when Leah got hit by a cab and rolled her ankle. Taking your clothes off and putting some guy’s peen in your mouth is not in the same category.”

  “Ew! Why are you making it sound so gross?” I was offended by her attitude.

  She laughed. “I just think you should take responsibility. You wanted to, you did. Just own it, Savannah.”

  “Fine! I did. I wanted to and I did. There. Are you happy? And it was good and I want more and he wants more and now what? That is what I’m asking. Now what?” I realized my voice had gotten too loud. A man in his early twenties was working on his laptop. He glanced at me.

  I lowered my voice to a dramatic whisper. “Now what the actual hell am I supposed to do?”

  “You can stop acting like you opened a portal to disaster with your vagina and just calm down. Let’s start there.” Isla gave me a grin.

  My jaw dropped. “I kind of hate you right now.”

  “I guess I’m just failing to see the crisis.”

  Leave it to Isla to not indulge my hysteria. I was about to explain to her why this was a legitimate dilemma when the door to the shop opened and I saw it was Maddox entering. Sully was strapped to his broad chest in a baby carrier. It was a beautiful sight—like porn for women. A hot tattooed man in a leather jacket with a baby strapped to him. I
t was a walking fantasy. It was a meme. It was ovulation inspiring.

  I waved to him. He waved back.

  Isla swiveled to see who had entered. Felicia was next to me and could already see Maddox. “He’s fucking brilliant,” she said.

  When Isla turned back to face us, her eyes were wide. “It’s not like you stood a chance,” she said, her voice low. “I know you showed us his pic but the baby just adds that extra layer of hot.”

  “I totally agree.” I stood up as Maddox approached the table. Sully had spotted me and was making happy squealing sounds, pumping his arms and kicking Maddox in the gut. “Hi, baby.” I bent down a little and gave him a kiss on his plump cheek.

  Then I straightened and looked up at Maddox. “Thanks for bringing him.” I gestured behind me. “These are my friends Isla and Felicia. This is Maddox.”

  Did I say my friend? My nanny? Steven’s best friend? My brand-new lover? I decided it was better not to give it a label.

  “It’s a pleasure,” Felicia said.

  “We’ve heard so much about you,” Isla said. “So much.”

  That wasn’t obvious or anything. Maddox gave me a questioning look but I just shrugged.

  “It’s great to finally meet Savannah’s friends,” he said.

  “Do you want to grab a coffee and join us?” Felicia asked him.

  “Sure, for a couple of minutes, then I’ll leave you to your girl time.”

  “Want me to take Sully?” I asked.

  He waved me off with his inked hand, before giving Sully’s hair a stroke. “After I order is fine.”

  I watched him stroll to the counter, confident, casual. Tight ass in dark jeans. The cashier at the register was eyeing him like she’d love a crack at him, baby or not. Maybe because of the baby for all I knew.

  “You only have one option,” Isla said urgently.

  “What?”

  “Shh! He’s coming back,” Felicia said.

  When in the history of Brooklyn had anyone ever gotten a coffee that fast? That had been thirty freaking seconds. I needed to hear my one and only option.

  “I forgot my wallet,” he said, patting his pants like it was going to magically appear. “I’m not thinking straight today. Probably stayed up too late last night.”

  I scrambled for my purse, praying he didn’t say any more than that. “Here, I’ve got it.”

  “That’s okay. I can skip the coffee.”

  “No, I insist. You’re being really… helpful,” I finished lamely. I handed him a ten. “I think we could both stand to wake up.” I gave him a pointed look.

  He didn’t take the hint. Instead he just took the money and reached out and tugged the end of my hair in what felt like a very brother-like move. “You’re the best.”

  As he went back to the counter, Felicia sucked her iced coffee so hard it made slurping sounds.

  Isla shook her head a little. “We need to talk about this after he leaves.”

  We did. Though I didn’t know what there was to say other than what I’d already texted them earlier—help. I needed serious help.

  Maddox didn’t seem at a loss for words. He returned to the table with a coffee held far away from his body so Sully couldn’t grab at it or kick it. He set it down in the center of the table and took the seat next to Isla, grabbing Sully’s legs and putting him in a sitting position as he lowered himself. The man knew his way around a baby. Every day he proved that to me in a dozen ways.

  It was a typical Brooklyn coffee shop. Lots of wood, exposed brick, and industrial accents. There was a living wall of succulents with club chairs in front of it. I frequented it often because it was so close to my apartment but I hadn’t established any sort of rapport with the staff because it seemed like they were always changing. Now the cashier who had helped Maddox strolled by with a rag in her hand to wipe the table next to us. She gave me a dirty look before eyeing Maddox with definite lust.

  I felt so instantly territorial it alarmed me. Friends with benefits. Repeat after me, Savannah Prescott. Fucking friends with benefits. Fucking friends. Or friends that were fucking, if you will. Nothing more.

  My thoughts were wandering off in various directions while Maddox was making conversation with my friends.

  “I hear you’re a chef,” he said to Isla.

  Had I told him that? God, the man paid attention. I didn’t even remember saying that.

  They chatted about the restaurant she was at, and he admitted to not liking to cook. He asked Felicia about her business and in turn they asked him about the tattoo shop and the show. I just listened, appreciating the mental break, and made faces at my son.

  Until Maddox changed the subject. “Did Savannah tell you her date was a bust?”

  I sat up straighter. “Oh, geez, let’s not talk about that.”

  “Total bust. It sounds like there was some miscommunication,” Isla said, completely ignoring me. “Like this guy thought she just wanted a bangfest and she didn’t.”

  Really subtle. Not. I kicked her under the table. She totally ignored me and sipped her latte.

  “With her next couple of setups we need to make sure the goal is clear,” Isla continued. “She’s looking for a relationship.”

  “Some guys are going to assume sex no matter what,” Maddox said. “But yeah, it definitely sounds like a few DMs could have cleared that up ahead of time.”

  “You guys know I’m sitting here, right?”

  No one really acknowledged my comment.

  “I’ve been talking to this guy as Savannah,” Felicia said, swiping through her phone. She showed a picture to Maddox. “What do you think?”

  “He’s not bad,” Maddox said, even as he popped Sully’s pacifier back in his mouth when he started fussing. “He looks quite a bit older than Savannah, though.”

  “He’s forty-two. I figured that might be a better choice for a single mom.”

  What was happening? Why was Maddox discussing my dating life with my friends?

  It was like the night before hadn’t even happened. Which it most definitely had. Lots of tongue. Lots of body contact for an extended period of time.

  “I don’t think age has anything to do with parenting skills,” Maddox said. “Has he been married before? Does he know how to compromise?”

  “Oh, I should ask him that,” Felicia said. She started typing. “Have you ever been married? For how long?”

  Stunned from the conversation I finally realized what exactly Felicia had said she’d been doing.

  “Wait a minute. You’re talking to him as me?”

  “You said I could,” Felicia protested.

  She was right. I had. But now it seemed bizarre. Or maybe it was just because Maddox was sitting there. Maybe if Maddox didn’t exist I would find it highly entertaining to see how Felicia would pretend to be me. She was definitely more dry than I was.

  “Then can I at least see his picture since everyone else has?” I held my hand out.

  She started to give me her phone, but then she held it back. “Don’t say anything off-putting.”

  I eyed her. “Why would I do that?”

  “Just be engaging. He seems very nice.”

  “Maybe you should date him, Felicia,” Isla said.

  My thoughts exactly.

  “Don’t be silly. I picked him for Savannah. He thinks he’s talking to a hot redhead, not a sallow Brit.”

  “I don’t even know what sallow means,” I told her, “but you’re definitely a catch so don’t downplay yourself.” Felicia had big expressive eyes and cheekbones to die for.

  She just shrugged. “I picked him for you,” she repeated.

  I looked at his picture. He appeared to be fit, but not super muscular. He had a pleasant smile, and wasn’t fighting that his hair was graying at the temples. “He does look like a nice guy.” I didn’t have any burning desire to date him, but I wouldn’t object.

  I handed her the phone back and added, “But we all know my track record with men.”


  “Did Savannah tell you she has appalling taste in men?” Isla asked Maddox, sounding very cheerful about the whole thing.

  “She did,” he said, giving me a grin that unnerved me. “And she agreed to let me pick her fifth first date.”

  “Oh, she did, did she?” Isla said. “Interesting. So who would you choose for Savannah?”

  I shifted on my seat, not wanting to hear this answer. This was already awkward.

  “Someone totally unexpected. I’m still working out the details.” Maddox started to undo the arms straps on the carrier. “Now I should head out and leave you to hang out.”

  I took Sully automatically and Maddox slipped the straps up onto my arm. He clicked the carrier in place as I dropped a kiss on Sully’s downy head. “Thanks, Mad.”

  “See you later. One o’clock, remember?” He gave me a smoldering, intense, lust-filled gaze that had me blooming with heat.

  He stood up as I nodded. “Absolutely. Yeppers. One o’clock it is.” I gave an excited giggle and then hated myself for it. I couldn’t help it though. The thought of more sex made me giddy.

  Maddox gave me a smile, like he knew he made me ridiculous. He took Sully’s hand and gave himself a high five with it. “Bye, kiddo.” He waved to Felicia and Isla. “It was really good to meet you. Savannah is lucky to have such great friends.”

  Then he left with his coffee and I sat there in a haze of sexual want and general confusion.

  “Well.” Felicia turned and watched him leave. When the door shut behind him she said, “Remind me again why you can’t just date him? Because I think he is quite the catch.”

  “I’m not disputing that,” I said. “But he’s ridiculously young. He’s not marriage material. He also lives in Stroudsburg normally and is totally not my type. Do you see all those tattoos? Besides, he doesn’t want to date me. You heard him discussing my love life like he’s one of the girls.”

  “I would not say he sounded like one of the girls,” Isla said. “Get real, Savannah. But I agree that while he clearly is awesome with your son, there is nothing there to indicate he wants a relationship with you.”

  That stung a little. Yes, she was agreeing with me, but I hadn’t realized until that moment that maybe I wanted them to argue with me. To tell me to explore what it could be with Maddox beyond sex. “Exactly,” I said, before lifting my coffee to my lips. My voice had wobbled a little.