He looked out the window for a while before he turned his dark eyes on me. “Does it bother you if I hang out with Charlie and Matt?”
“No,” I said immediately. “I don’t own them.”
“Good. I’m in a basketball league and need a few more players.”
“Uh, excuse me?” I crossed my arms over my chest and copped a full attitude.
He stared at me blankly, unsure what he’d done to provoke me.
“I play basketball.”
“Yeah?” A slow grin stretched across his face, the kind of smile that reached his dangerous eyes and made him less intimidating. “We’re pretty competitive. You think you can handle it?”
“You have no idea.”
His smile stayed, like he was truly amused by me. “Fair enough. You can handle the Italian mob, so you can handle this.”
“Damn right.”
The waitress brought our food and placed it in front of us.
“Oh, this looks good.” I grabbed my fork and started to eat.
It was the first time he had eaten in front of me like this, and he pulled his elbows off the table and ate, his masculine jaw shifting as he chewed. He had a shadow on his face, dark and coarse hair that matched his dark eyes. “You’ve got to tell me, how did you meet the mob?”
“Oh, I hunted them down.”
He cocked an eyebrow.
“They’re like the godfathers of the city. They just know shit.”
“And why are they inclined to share anything with you?”
“Because I never share them as a source. And they think I’m cute.”
He smiled before he chewed again. “You are cute.”
“And I smoke and drink with them too. They like that.”
“Are you a regular smoker?”
“God, no.” I shook my head in disgust. “Just a social smoker. It seems like the more I drink and the more I smoke, the more I’m taken seriously. Which is stupid, but whatever. You?”
“You know I drink.”
“Smoke?”
“Occasionally.”
“To make you look more manly, or because you actually enjoy it?”
He considered the question as he took another bite and chewed it. Once it was down his throat, he answered. “I enjoy it. A flavored Cuban is perfect on the right occasion.”
“Like in a strip club?” I teased.
He shrugged. “Sometimes.”
I kept eating, feeling the fire on my tongue, and swallowed it down with copious amounts of water.
“Looks like it’s too spicy for you.”
“Oh no. Definitely not.” I kept eating, feeling my eyes water, my sinuses open up and drain like a flood.
He seemed amused but didn’t tease me more about it. “Do you feel relieved that the article is finished?”
“No. Charlie has to read it first, which he’ll do tonight, and then Vince has to rip it apart.”
“Vince?”
“My boss slash editor.”
“Well, when it hits the stands, I’ll buy a copy.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” He nodded.
“That’s sweet.” A guy had never taken much interest in my work before. Dax was the first guy who seemed genuinely impressed by my job, impressed by what I accomplished. My success and ambition weren’t a turn-off.
“I just want to brag to my friends about the woman I’m seeing.”
“The woman you’re screwing,” I corrected. “We aren’t seeing each other.”
He took a few more bites and didn’t react to what I’d said. “We’ve made a lot of progress, so I’ll let that go.”
“What? That’s what we agreed on.”
“I’m not going to describe you that way to my friends.”
“You haven’t told them about the way I jump your bones?” I asked in surprise.
He shook his head. “Not the kiss-and-tell type.”
“Because you’re a gentleman?”
“No. I just don’t feel the need to discuss my conquests. Bragging in all scenarios is ugly.”
I looked down at my food as I felt the rush in my chest. The more I got to know him, the more I liked him. He was so confident that he didn’t need to brag, didn’t need to talk about himself to show that he was a man. He had an old soul but a handsome smile. “I like that.”
“You talk about me to your friends?”
“Oh yeah. I brag all the time.”
He kept eating, his eyes showing his amusement.
“And trust me, they’re sooooo jealous.” I took a few more bites, became overwhelmed by the spiciness, and had to drink all of my water and some of his.
He chuckled. “You don’t have to prove anything to me, sweetheart.”
“I’m not. I love it—despite the pain.”
“No wonder you get along with my dick so well.”
I looked into his eyes as I felt the smile move into my eyes, liking the dirty thing he’d said and the way he pulled it off. “So, when are these games?”
“Every Wednesday night.”
“I think I can make that work. But I might have to chase someone down with a club once in a while.”
“We’ve got eight or so players, so that’s fine.”
“Great. So, you’re still going to ask Charlie and Matt?”
“Yeah. Unless you don’t want me to.”
“I don’t mind at all.”
“Does your sister play too?”
“No.” I kept eating. “She’s more of a yoga in the park kind of chick.”
“And you aren’t?” he asked, staring at me. “Your body indicates otherwise.”
I rolled my eyes as if that line meant nothing to me, but I was incredibly flattered. “I don’t usually have time to exercise. And I’m just not a fan of the treadmill and weights. I need to chase after a ball to stay motivated.”
“Like a dog?” he teased.
“Exactly.”
“Did you play ball in high school?”
“And college.”
“Really?” he asked, his eyebrows rising in approval. “At Harvard?”
“All four years, honey.” I flexed my arms like a superhero. “They called me the three-pointer bitch.”
“Now I’m really excited to play with you.”
“And your friends better not go easy on me. I can handle an elbow to the face or the stomach. Just not the tits.” I rubbed my chest. “I love my girls.”
“I love them too.”
“Oh, I know…” I smiled before I took another bite.
My phone lit up on the table with a text message, the name reading Boy Toy #1. What are you doing tonight?
I grabbed it and texted back. I’m out with a guy right now. I set the phone back down and kept eating.
He texted back. Alright. Talk to you later.
I liked Brian because he never pushed for more. He was fine with the casualness. When I talked about other guys, he never cared. Sometimes he mentioned the girls he was seeing. The sex wasn’t as good and the attraction was nowhere close to what I had with Dax, but he was convenient and didn’t cause problems.