by E. L. Todd
“What about her?” she asked with a voice full of attitude.
“I need to talk to her about something.”
Skye looked like she might kill me. “What the hell is so important that you have to talk to her?”
“Slade wants to hook her up with Reid. Since Reid talked some sense into Mike and helped Slade and Trinity get back together, Slade wants to do something as a thank you.”
“What the hell does that have to do with you?”
“Since I…know her…he wants me to talk to her about it. He already spoke to Reid. He’s on board with the date.”
She breathed hard and looked like she might blow a house down. “You’re telling me this why?”
“I considered doing it without your knowledge but I knew how mad you would be if you found out later.”
“How noble of you,” she said sarcastically.
“Only because I know how you get when I bring her up.”
“How would you feel if I talked about Zack?”
I kept my cool even though I wanted to snap. “Those situations aren’t comparable and you know it. Don’t say his name to me—ever.”
“I don’t want to hear you say her name—ever.”
“This is the last time, okay?”
“Right.” She released a sarcastic laugh, cold and piercing.
“Come with me when I talk to her.”
She gave me an angry look.
“That way you aren’t worried about her making a pass at me or anything, which she wouldn’t anyway.”
“Like she wouldn’t love to sink her claws into you.”
“She wouldn’t,” I said. “She’s over me.”
“No, she just wants to get under you.”
I let the comment slide. “I’m doing this as a favor to Slade. If it were somebody else, I wouldn’t consider it. Come with me and sit in my lap if you want, whatever makes you feel better.”
“Oh, I’ll definitely be sitting in your lap.” She pushed her chair out and marched away, swinging her arms and strutting her hips as she went.
I stayed in my spot and sighed, wishing Slade had been best friends with Roland instead.
***
Jasmine agreed to meet me at Peet’s Coffee, the same place where we saw each other last time. Skye was in a bad mood, and she didn’t touch me as we walked to the coffee shop. I stayed silent so I wouldn’t provoke her wrath.
When we walked inside, Jasmine was sitting in the corner.
Skye immediately wrapped her arm through mine, making sure everyone in the vicinity knew I was hers. Her affection and territorial behavior didn’t bother me. Actually, it was kind of hot.
I headed to the table while Skye clung to me. “Hey, Jasmine.”
She stood up and smiled. “Hey, it’s nice to see you.” She extended her arms to hug me.
Skye yanked on my arm and pulled me back. “I don’t think so, chick.” She gave Jasmine the stink eye.
“Uh…sorry.” Jasmine’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “It’s nice to see you too, Skye.”
“The feeling is mutual.”
Man, this was awkward.
I sat down, and just like I predicted, Skye sat in the spot next to me and touched me in every place she could.
Jasmine eyed us. “I’m glad you guys are back together.”
Skye looked out the window and ignored her.
I cleared my throat. “There’s something I want to talk about.”
“Okay,” she said.
“There’s this guy I know. His name is Reid and he’s the CEO of a bank. He’s twenty-nine and he’s a good-looking guy. He’s looking for someone to settle down with but he hasn’t found the right person. He’s a gentleman like me, and he’s very nice.”
“Where are you going with this?” Jasmine asked.
“I’d like to set you up on a date with him.”
Jasmine looked offended. “I can get my own dates, Cayson. I don’t need to be set up on a blind date.”
“I’m making this arrangement because I think you’ll be a good match. It’s just one date. If you don’t like him, then leave. I wouldn’t set you up with a weirdo. You know that.”
Skye tightened her hold on me.
“I don’t know…” Jasmine seemed to be on the border. “Just because you say nice things about him doesn’t mean he’s everything you make him out to be.”
“True. But he’s better than most men I know, and I understand why all the girls like him. Just give him a chance. I don’t think you’ll regret it.”
“And he’s agreed to this?”
“Yes.”
She considered it for a moment. “What does he look like?”
“That’s right,” Skye said. “We forgot how shallow you are.”
I sighed and didn’t speak. Instead, I pulled out my phone and pulled up his page on social media. “That picture is recent.”
She eyed it. “He’s really cute. This is him?”
“Yeah.”
“Why the hell is a guy like this single?” she demanded. “What’s wrong with him?”
“He’s just picky, I guess,” I said. “That’s not a bad thing.”
She stared at the picture for another moment before she returned the phone. “Okay, I’ll do it.”
I smiled. “Great. Be at Rogers at seven on Friday.”
“I will.”
“Can we go now?” Skye said.
“Sure.” I gave Jasmine an apologetic look.
Jasmine didn’t seem offended. “Well, take care. I hope the wedding is soon.”
“Don’t expect an invite.” Skye grabbed me and dragged me out of the coffee shop.
I couldn’t complain about Skye’s behavior, because when we got home, she rode me and gave me the best sex of my life, probably trying to make sure I wasn’t thinking about Jasmine at all.
And she succeeded.
Chapter Four
Reid
Blind dates weren’t my thing. I preferred to meet women organically, like bumping into them at a bar while she was headed to the restroom. Seeing someone’s mannerisms from across a room gave you a lot of insight into who they were. Looking at someone’s dating profile wasn’t the same thing. They could hide everything they didn’t want you to know, like their insecurities or their lack of manners. Or the fact they were extremely vain.
Since I’d experienced nothing but failure in the dating world recently, I decided to give it a chance. Ironically, the only girl I seriously liked was permanently unavailable. But in the end, the only guy who could ever snatch her was Slade.
It was depressing, but I was happy for her. While her relationship with Slade didn’t make a lot of sense, the way they loved each other couldn’t be denied. I hoped I would have a relationship like that someday, preferably with my wife…if I ever found her.
I was almost thirty, and the sea of fish was getting smaller. Girls were getting married off, and the only ones who were interested in dating were divorced with kids. I didn’t hate kids, but I always assumed when I became a parent, the kids would be mine.
This date would probably be a waste of time like all the others. We would have nothing to talk about because we didn’t have a shared experience, like meeting in a bar or a grocery store, and it would just be completely awkward and uncomfortable. I tried not to be pessimistic because I was a positive person, but after meeting so many women and not finding a connection, I saw the glass half empty.
I got to the bar ten minutes early but didn’t order anything. I desperately wanted a scotch to shake off the nerves but it would be rude to order before she arrived.
The door opened and a blonde walked inside. She had long hair that curled at the ends, and almond shaped green eyes. They were bright and beautiful, acting as beacons to ships lost at sea. She was small of stature, but she made her presence known by the way she held herself. It was with grace and confidence. She didn’t seem unsure of herself, but she also didn’t seem full of herself.
Her b
lack dress was tight on the hips and the chest, showing perfect curves in the right places. She was thin, but she looked toned, like she did weight a few times a week. Her arms were small but they were also tight.
She looked around the bar then absentmindedly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
Man, she was beautiful.
I blatantly stared at her even as I wished I would stop. I noticed I had a strong attraction to blondes even though I was a brunette. It was something I was into and I couldn’t explain why.
My date would be here any minute and I felt terrible for gawking at this gorgeous girl. She was probably meeting her boyfriend or her husband, because there was no way in hell she was single.
I forced myself to look out the window and clear her from my thoughts. Even though this date wouldn’t blossom into anything worth remembering, it would be wrong to be thinking about some other girl that caught my attention the second she walked inside.
I stared at the people who passed on the sidewalk and wondered if my date was even coming. Maybe she chickened out at the last minute because she thought I was a serial killer or something.
“Hi.”
I turned at the sound of the beautiful voice.
The blonde girl was looking at me, smiling at me with perfect teeth and sparkling green eyes. With that thick hair and hourglass shape, she reminded me of a model.
Seriously, I had the worst luck in the world. A bombshell comes over to talk to me, and I’m waiting for a date I probably wasn’t going to like anyway. I would get her number and tell her I’d call her later but that would be unbelievably shady. I couldn’t be a jerk like that. “Hello,” I said.
“Anyone sitting here?” she asked.
“Actually, I’m waiting for a date—a blind date.” I couldn’t believe I was turning this beautiful girl down. Only if Carrie Underwood walked inside would she be able to compete with this green-eyed supermodel.
“Reid?”
My heart skipped a beat when I heard her say my name. The hair on the back of my neck stood up, and my skin prickled. She only said a single word, but it excited me more than anything any woman had ever done to me. “Yes…who are you?” Did she recognize me from the bank?
“I’m Jasmine.” She extended her hand to shake mine. “Your blind date.”
“Oh.” Seriously? Was this happening? She was my blind date? “Oh.” I shook hers weakly.
She eyed me for a moment, her eyes becoming more vibrant. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah.” I cleared my throat. “I apologize. You just aren’t what I was expecting.”
“Well, what were you expecting and how am I not up to par?”
Do I just blatantly tell her she was the most gorgeous woman I’d ever seen? That would probably freak her out—and it should. “You just don’t strike me as the kind of girl who has a hard time finding dates.”
“Well, I can find dates easy enough. But finding good dates is a different matter.” She sat with perfect posture. Her hair framed her face and highlighted her prominent cheekbones. There wasn’t a blemish or flaw on her perfect face. It was like looking at a painting. “And you don’t strike me as the kind of man who has a hard time finding dates.”
I smiled. “You flatter me. But I think we have the same misfortune. I can’t find the right dates.”
She gave me a smile then dropped it. “Seven million people in this city, but we can’t find the right one. It’s sad, isn’t it?”
“Sometimes,” I said honestly.
“Cayson spoke highly of you, so perhaps this time will be different.”
I had a strong feeling it already was.
***
She ordered her second glass of wine and I stuck to my scotch.
“What do you do, Jasmine?” I asked. I tried not to stare at her too much. It was difficult to ignore the curve of her lips or the flash of her eyes when she spoke about something passionately. Her cheeks started to tint as the alcohol set in. And she had loosened up considerably.
“I’m a hairdresser,” she said. “I work at Fancy Cuts.”
“That’s nice,” I said. “How long have you been doing that?”
“About a year,” she said. “My goal is to save enough money to open my own shop. I just need to stash away enough cash.”
“An admirable goal,” I said.
“What do you do? Cayson mentioned something about a bank… The conversation was under stressful circumstances so I didn’t catch a lot of what he said.”
“Why was the situation under distress?” I asked, sincerely curious.
“His girlfriend doesn’t like me,” she said. “She seems to think I want Cayson when I absolutely don’t.”
It didn’t surprise me that Skye was threatened by Jasmine. In appearance, Jasmine was my ideal fantasy. She had the features I found attractive, and she carried herself in a way that commanded respect. She would intimidate any woman. And I’m sure Cayson checked her out even if he wouldn’t admit it. “That’s unfortunate.”
“Anyway, what do you do, Reid?”
“I work at a bank. My grandfather opened the first one after World War II, and it’s become a family business. We have branches all over the east coast.”
“That’s cool,” she said. “Do you like…banking? Is that what you would call it?”
I smiled. “Yeah. And I do like it, for the most part.”
“I’m sure it’s stressful,” Jasmine said. “Running your own business is one thing but running several…that’s tough work.”
I shrugged. “I just take it one day at a time.”
“Good idea,” she said with a smile. “Baby steps.”
Man, I loved her smile.
“Cayson said you were older too.”
“I’m almost thirty,” I said with some embarrassment.
“Well, at least your eggs aren’t drying up,” she teased.
I laughed. “Thankfully. How old are you, if you don’t mind me asking.”
“Twenty-five.”
I cringed. “It’s a bit of a gap.”
“Age doesn’t bother me,” she said. “As long as you’re over eighteen and under sixty-five, we’re okay.”
“So, if I were sixty-two, you would consider me?” I asked with a smirk.
“Oh yeah,” she said. “Cute old men are the best. They just compliment you all day and tell you how young and beautiful you are. And they want to play chess, which they are always masters at, and they have amazing stories to tell. Personally, I like old men.”
Her words made me smile. She had an upbeat personality, and she knew how to tell a story and make it clear it was just a joke. “Well, I’m old. I’m good at chess. And I have a lot of stories to tell.”
“Oh really?” she said. “Tell me a story.”
“Okay,” I said. “When I was eleven, I thought the Easter bunny was still real. But I’d never seen him before, and I was eager to get a look at him. What did he look like? How did he carry all those baskets?”
Jasmine listened to me with interest in her eyes.
“So, I set up my dad’s camcorder in the bushes and left it there all day. After the Easter bunny came and went, and I didn’t even catch a glimpse of him, I retrieved the camera and was stunned by what I saw.”
“What?” she asked.
“The Easter bunny was my dad.”
“It was heartbreaking, huh?” she asked with sad eyes.
“Well, no, it wasn’t,” I said. “Because I actually thought my dad was the Easter bunny.”
She laughed loudly. “Oh no.”
“So, every day when he went to work, I thought he was in some underground hill working on all the baskets for the upcoming year. I wondered why my dad didn’t tell me the truth, and I wondered if my mom knew. So, when I came home, I confessed my dad’s identity to my mom. She smiled and kept a straight face.”
“When did you find out the truth?”
“It wasn’t until I turned thirteen that my parents finally told me the t
ruth. I was pretty embarrassed.”
“That’s so cute,” she said. “Adorable.”
“I told all the kids at school my dad was the Easter bunny. They didn’t believe me—and for good reason.”
“Make sure your kids don’t have a camera around Easter,” she joked.
“I’ll probably hire an actor to do it so no accidents happen.”
“That’s a safe bet.” She finished half of her wine then left the glass on the table.
“So, how do you know Cayson anyway? It seems like everyone knows that gang somehow.”
“Actually, I dated Trinity for a short period of time a few years ago.”
“Trinity?” she asked. “Really?”
“But Slade was in the picture and it got complicated. So I just left.”
“Small world,” she said. She didn’t seem to care about Trinity and I.
“And how do you know them?”
“Cayson and I dated for almost a year.”
I wasn’t expecting that. Now I understood why Skye was so threatened by her. If Cayson slept with Jasmine, that would make any girl uneasy. “Why didn’t it work out?”
“He’s been in love with Skye since he hit puberty. When she finally realized how great they are together, Cayson left me for her.”
“That’s fucked up,” I blurted. I realized my mistake and use of profanity, and I felt like a jerk. “I apologize for my vulgar words. I didn’t mean to come off so harsh…”
“It’s okay.” She gave me a smile before she continued. “It’s not like how it sounds. When Cayson and I got together, he made it clear how he felt about Skye. He said there was a good chance he would never get over her. Since he was honest, I was okay with it.”
I was surprised she settled for someone who was in love with someone else. “Why did you stay?” I asked. “Why would you be with him under those conditions?”
“I really liked him,” she said truthfully. “And I thought if we were together long enough, he would forget about her.”
I guess I’d done the same thing with Trinity. I hoped if she spent enough time with me, she would realize how much better I was for her. Jasmine and I were a lot alike. “I can understand that.”
“Sometimes people do stupid things for love. Seeing the way Cayson loved Skye with everything he had made me want that. I guess I hoped time would make him turn that charm and devotion on me.”