Page 10 of Only If You Dare

Santana made an exasperating attempt at rolling her eyes.

“What happened?”

“Nothing.”

My eyes left her to wander around the restaurant. “Where is that pizza,” I whispered almost to myself.

“Desiree!”

My eyes snapped back to her. “Hmm?”

“Did you sleep with him?”

This time my mouth fell open. “Of course not!” I screeched glancing around to see if anyone heard her. “Why would you think I would do something like that? Show’s what you think of me.” I folded my arms and poked my lips out like a sulking child.

“Oh don’t give me that. Julian is the same man you talked about nonstop for a full week after returning from Chicago. And, might I add, he’s the hottest guy I’ve ever seen.”

A smiled ushered to my lips, and a giggle tickled from my throat.

“He is pretty hot,” I said. “But looks can be deceiving.”

Santana nodded just as a different waitress approached with our pizza.

“Thank God!” She reached for a slice and the steam rising from the dish fogged her glasses.

“I’m so sorry, ma’am. Your pizza was ready fifteen minutes ago, but it slipped and hit the floor, so we had to make another one. We normally don’t take as long; please accept our apologies. This one is on the house.”

“Thank you,” I said. Santana and I dug in immediately. But, as soon as the warm layer of melted cheese hit our tongues, we both yelped and laughed. I sent a cool breeze over the top of my slice in an attempt to cool off the simmering sauce.

“Mmmm,” Santana moaned, “This is good, burned tongue and all.”

I snickered as I continued to blow on my slice. After a few bites, Santana prodded me to go on with my afternoon story. I gave her a few details; purposely omitting the fact that I’d almost thrown myself at him because my neglected sex life needed the healing I knew he could give.

“Wow,” Santana said. “Sounds like a delightful afternoon.”

I nodded again as no words came from my mouth. My thoughts traveled to Julian’s lips and the tight grip he held me in as I sat stupefied in his lap. The scent of his cologne mixed with his natural aroma assaulting my nose as if he sat before me now. His thick eyelashes and strong nose was the only thing I could see at the moment.

Santana’s arm reached out to me, her fingers snapping. “Earth to Desiree.”

“Hmm?” I blinked coming back to the restaurant and it’s tantalizing smells of rich pizza.

“Girl, you’ve got it bad.”

“What are you talking about?”

Santana shook her head slowly. “It’s too late. You can’t pretend you’re not attracted to him. I caught you daydreaming.”

I wanted to put up a fight and simply suggest that she was crazy. But I wasn’t fooling her, no more than I was fooling myself. I shrugged. “What can I say, I’m in lust.”

We both giggled and ate a few more slices of pizza.

“So what does this mean for your position at the Report? Are you still thinking of moving back to Chicago, or are you staying here with me?” Santana perked up laying it on heavy by batting her eyes, hoping it would entice me to stay.

“I’m not only thinking about it, I’m still going to move back. The only difference is, reporting on this story will build my brand. That way when I apply for a position in Chicago, it will look great on my resume. I shouldn’t have too hard a time getting a prominent spot.”

Santana’s lips twisted slightly. “With all the work you’ve done, you don’t need one story to seal the deal for you at any newspaper. They’d all be lucky to snag a reporter like you.”

I perked up. “Aww thanks, Santana.”

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