Page 55 of Lethal Seduction

“I know,” he says. “I’ve learned as a detective that all our lives are fragile. It takes one person to upend what we have and change our existence forever. Honestly, it’s taken me a while to learn to let things go… allow bad things to happen that are out of my control. No one can stop everything bad from happening. My goals are now to help as many as I can, feel content with the good I can do, and keep those close to me safe.” His eyes linger on me a little longer with that last statement.

He’s referring to me when he speaks of keeping those close to him safe. My belly flutters with butterflies again. Usually, I avoid things that make me nervous, but this is different. The attraction I feel for him is on a level I’ve never felt before and it’s intoxicating.

“Good evening,” the waiter says as he walks up to the table, menus in hand. He opens and hands us each one before beginning his spiel. “My name is Ethan, and I’ll be your waiter this evening. Have either of you been here before?”

I shake my head no, but Michael just smiles and says, “We’d love to hear about the specials.”

“You’re in for a treat tonight, I can assure you,” he says, without opening a menu to reference. “Our special tonight is Kobe beef. It is served shabu-shabu, with a side of sticky rice, imported vegetables, and traditional ramen. I can give you a few minutes to look over the menus if you need?”

I glance across the table to Michael who isn’t even holding his menu. “Did you already know what you’re going to have?”

“Usually, I stick with the special and tonight’s sounds delicious.”

Ethan turns to me with expectant eyes. Clearly, it’s I who will either hold up the show or go with the flow. “I guess we will both be having tonight’s special.”

“Fantastic,” Ethan says. “You won’t be disappointed, I can assure you.” He points at the menu in my hands. “If you turn to the back, there is a list of wines, spirits, and traditional fare.”

“I’ll let Michael order that for us,” I say.

He smiles and addresses the waiter. “We will have your sake, warm, and two waters, please.”

“Perfect choice,” Ethan says with a slight bow of the head. He turns on his heel and hurries away from the table.

“Shabu-shabu?” I ask.

“It’s how the Kobe beef is prepared. Thinly sliced and flash-boiled in water. It tastes like butter. I promise.”

Someone comes by and drops off water at the table. I take the glass and sip the filtered water. “Nicer water than I get at the apartment, that’s for sure. I think they use the same reverse osmosis system we do at the club.”

“I can’t believe Los Angeles thinks the water we drink out of the tap is healthy. There’s got to be a higher than allowed level of chlorine at the very least.”

I take a moment to look around the restaurant. People of all ages, races, and backgrounds are enjoying their food while soft Japanese music and the faint sounds of nature play. Theone thing everyone seems to have in common, other than me, is money. There’s no way a working schlep like myself would set foot in here if they had to actually pay for their meal. Sudden panic sets in. I didn’t even check the menu for the price of my meal—not that a place like this has dollar amounts listed. Shit, I know he said he was going to pay, but this is too much to ask. I feel a little uncomfortable.

“Is everything alright?” Michael asks. “You look worried.” He turns and looks over his shoulder for a moment. “Is someone here making you feel uncomfortable?”

Should I just lie? Or be honest and explain that I will probably never be able to afford to take him out for a meal like this? I hear Tina’s voice in the back of my head telling me to be honest. If you really like this guy, don’t start figuring out ways to lie to him already. Save that for when you’re married and you spend too much online and have to hide the packages as they’re delivered in the mail.

“I hate that you are going to pay for dinner and I will never be able to pay you back by doing the same… at least not in a place like this.” There it is. I’m being honest and vulnerable. Probably, for the first time this early on in a relationship.

“Don’t worry about it,” he says. “I wouldn’t have suggested it if I wasn’t comfortable paying. Not to mention, there’s something sexy about getting to pamper you like this.”

I try to cover my smile with my napkin, but there’s no way he can’t see my blush even in the low lighting.

“Hope that’s okay with you?” he adds.

Reaching across the table, I take his hand in mine. We look into each other’s eyes, and I swear I see him blush a little bit too.

“What do we have here?” A skinny, flushed-faced Twink in tight jeans and a half-shirt says as he walks up to our table.

I pull my hand away from Michael’s and turn to the intruder. I’m about to ask him if he’s lost or needs directions to the nearest STD clinic, but the twit speaks first.

“Michael,” he says. “I can’t believe you haven’t returned my phone calls.”

He knows Michael?

The intruder continues, “There’s still time to make me an honest man, big guy. The last time I saw you, you were practically begging for it.” He turns and glances at me before he addresses Michael again. “Don’t tell me you’re cheating on me with that.”

Michael’s dating him? What the fuck?

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