Page 49 of Tempt Me

Thankfully, Calvin let his question slide, and our conversation flowed as if the four of us had known each other for decades.

From my position at the table, I had a side-on view of the band. Dontrel exuded his passion for music. When he sang, it wasn’t just his voice that I was attracted to—it was his expression and movements. Every ounce of him believed in that music. He was glorious to watch.

For entrée, the four of us shared a plate of oysters prepared three different ways, and as Lolita declared they were some of the best she’d ever tasted, I decided they weren’t as delicious as the ones I’d shared in the moonlight with Henry, my suave tutor.

I tried not to chuckle. Here I was, sitting next to a handsome man who may or may not be keen on me.

Barely ten feet away on the stage was a man who had shown me his massive cock, and how much fun foreplay could be.

Meanwhile, I was thinking about the man who gave me a mind-blowing orgasm while barely touching me.

I really had lost my mind.

Clayton’s hand draped over my thigh, and I nearly jumped through the table.

“Oh, sorry,” he said. “I was just asking if you were ready to order mains.”

“Oh, um, no.”Smooth, Jane. Really smooth.I was so pathetic when it came to men, and yet put a wig on me, add an abundance of makeup, name me Memphis, and suddenly I became a sexual diva.

As I attempted to hide behind the oversized menu, I forced myself to act normal.Just be me.

But even that was impossible. I didn’t know who I was anymore.

We ordered our meals, and as the band took us through songs from around the world our conversation flowed. Clayton was pleasant and the topics flitted from food to travel to kids.

When there was a lull in the conversation, I turned sideways to Clayton and asked him the question I’d been dying to ask all afternoon. “Tell me about your daughter.”

He placed his wine glass down. “Okay, well, Telitha is seven; she’s a little tomboy. She’d much prefer to climb trees and kick a ball than go to ballet.”

She sounded like my type of girl, and for some reason, it made me wonder what her mother had been like. “What happened to her mom?”

He cocked his head and sighed with a sorrowful look. “Her mother ran off when Telitha was just four years old.”

“Oh, that’s terrible.” I regretted being so nosy and was beginning to feel the pressure to change the subject.

“We went on a cruise,” he said. “The three of us. Four days into the vacation, Lisa met a young German man, and when we disembarked in Turkey, she announced she was leaving, and we hadn’t seen her since.”

My hand went to my mouth. “Oh, jeez. That’s shocking.”

Clayton shrugged. “It took me a few years to get over what she did, but things are better now. Thanks to Lolly. She’s the mother Telitha doesn’t have.”

I glanced at Lolly, and she glowed that motherly glow that suited her so much.When I grow up, I want to be just like her.I felt sick at how I’d judged Clayton. The poor man had been through hell.

Our meals arrived, and as I enjoyed a delicious barramundi, crumbed in macadamia nuts, and smothered in a buttery cream sauce, I tried to follow the conversation that was centered around the parents at ballet class.

Clayton, apparently, was the only dad who turned up regularly to dance practice, and according to Lolly, every other woman who attended was trying to get into his pants.

Clayton shrugged off the suggestion with a coy grin.

“You should see it, Jane.” Lolly pointed at me with half a prawn loaded on her fork. “These women practically drool at the sight of him. And most of them are married.”

“You’re exaggerating.” Clayton shook his head.

“No, I’m not.” She turned to Clayton, growing serious. “You wouldn’t know flirting if it slapped you across the face.”

Our laughter was drowned out as the band launched into a new song. Dontrel played the drums with a heightened tempo, and his song described a lover’s dance. It was impossible to talk, so we ate the rest of our meals in silence.

I finished my fish just as the band announced a small intermission. Dontrel stepped off the stage, and, to my horror, he strolled straight to our table.

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