Page 44 of Hard To Stay

She laughed, “So, either way, you win?”

I brushed my thumb across my bottom lip as images flashed in my mind. “I’d like to think either way, we both win.”

“You do realize you’ll be mine tonight, right?” She answered, with a confidence that flooded my brain with images of her lying beneath me. I imagined her soft curves, pink parted lips and all the possibilities of what those handcuffs could entail. I shifted my legs when I felt a bulge grow in my pants.

I reached out and cupped her face, loving the way she leaned into my touch.

“Sweetheart, I’m yours tonight and every night.”

God, I was completely screwed. This woman had slowly stripped away my defensive walls, leaving me emotionally bare and exposed. It was as if she scrubbed all the ugliness away from my life. There wasn’t a part of me that was off limits to her.

Our purple-haired waitress returned to the table and placed an unending supply of food in front of us. We both laughed hysterically because there wasn’t an empty space left on the table. I very carefully rearranged the plates and placed Lexi’s half in front of her.

“Okay, just so we’re clear on the rules... if I can manage to finish all this, you’ll tie me up. If I don’t, then I get to tie you up?”

I placed my napkin on my lap and started to dig in. “That’s correct, now eat up.”

“You must really want to feel the cold metal against your wrists tonight, huh?” She teased and then took a bite of her pulled pork sandwich. “Oh my God.” She moaned, while rolling her eyes into the back of her head. “This is amazing.”

We both knew in that moment that she knew she was fucked either way.

After the waitress cleared all the empty plates, Lexi leaned back and placed her hand over her stomach. It looked a little bloated from all the food she’d consumed, but I wasn’t stupid enough to say anything. Especially if I still planned on getting laid tonight.

“I can’t believe I ate all that food.”

“Told you so.” I smirked and reached across the table so I could wipe a smudge of barbeque sauce off the side of her face.

She narrowed her eyes at me, took a sip of her beer and placed it on the coaster in front of her. “I can’t believe you made me choose between the taste of baby back ribs or the feel of handcuffs around my wrist.”

“You’ll have to let me know if it was worth it, later.”

She laughed, “Yeah well, I may need a nap first.” Her hands patted her stomach in satisfaction not caring that she’d just lost the bet.

I shook my head, leaned back and let my eyes roam all over her. My stare was so obvious it should have made her uncomfortable, but she just held my gaze like the champ she was.

“No sleeping allowed. I’m keeping you up all night.”

A blush worked its way up her neck before landing on her cheeks. Not being able to wait any longer, I leaned across the table and brought her mouth to mine. I kissed her hard, not caring about what anyone else in the restaurant might have thought. A quiet moan left her mouth; I was thinking the check couldn’t come quick enough.

Her expression softened as I pulled away. “What are we waiting for? Let’s get out of here.”

As I signed the bill, I heard footsteps approaching our table. When I looked up to see who it was, my face fell.

“Hello, Brad.”

I dropped the pen, folded up the receipt and stuffed it in my wallet while trying to sound casual. “Hey, Samantha, how’s it going?” To call Samantha an ex-girlfriend was probably a bit of an overstatement, but I knew she was much more into us than I had been. Not that it mattered anyways because at the time I couldn’t see myself being in a relationship with anyone.

She adjusted the strap of her purse along her shoulder. “Have you not been getting my messages?” She asked, as I forced myself to make eye contact with her. Samantha really was a beautiful woman. She was half Italian and half Spanish and had an hourglass figure that most men would pay money just to look at. But that didn’t change the fact that the emotional connection was never there with her.

“Sorry.” I apologized. “I’ve been really busy lately.”

I’d been dodging her calls for over a month now. I knew why she was calling and instead of dealing with her directly, I had simply avoided her all together.

Samantha crossed her arms and narrowed her gaze on Lexi. She didn’t look pleased. “Yes, I can see that.”

“Samantha,” I said, throwing my napkin on the table. I wasn’t going to allow her to disrespect Lexi in front of me. This was awkward and going downhill fast. “This is my girlfriend, Lexi.”

She blanched at my words as if I had physically struck her. “I thought you said you weren’t ready for a relationship?”

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