Page 62 of Why Not Forever?

I appreciate that she says it like a reminder, but I know she noticed my reaction.

“So you’re saying I should order the most expensive thing on the menu?” I ask, trying to make a joke, but I’m not sure how it lands.

She meets my eyes over the top of her menu, a smirk on those gorgeous lips. “I’m going to.” She looks back down. “Hm. Actually, I think I’ll go with the tuna.”

I pick up the menu as well, trying to see the items and not the prices. Of course, it doesn’t work, and I end up ordering the striped bass, which is on the lower end of the price range, but not the cheapest thing.

After we order, we talk about what we want to do tomorrow. There are a few things that sound interesting. Vic had intended to schedule some activities, but since she was sick, she never got around to it.

“It’ll be more fun this way,” I tell her as she sips her wine.

“I’m not a spontaneous person, Tanner. You should know this by now.”

“I do. But let’s re-frame this. You’re not being spontaneous. Why don’t you let me make the decisions tomorrow? If it goes horribly, we still have one more day and you can schedule the whole thing if you want.”

She raises her glass, and I clink mine against it. “Deal,” she says.

The food arrives, and it is amazing. Even more amazing is when Vic takes a bite, humming softly and closing her eyes.

“This is good,” she says. “You should try some.”

Then she cuts off a piece of the tuna and holds it out to me on her fork. My heart is hammering in my chest as I meet her eyes and take it in my mouth. The whole interaction has me adjusting my pants as my cock hardens, first from the sounds she made, then because of the glimmer of desire I see reflected in her eyes.

We talk about all the things she had been considering doing while we’re here so I can make an informed decision tomorrow. When the waiter returns to ask if we want dessert, I decline, but Vic orders the tiramisu.

It arrives, and she takes the first bite, making that humming noise again that causes my cock to stir some more.

“Did you decline dessert because you don’t want it, or because you don’t want to add more to the bill?” she asks, before taking her second bite.

I take a moment, sipping my wine, before I say, “I think you already know the answer.”

She holds out her fork to me again, loaded with tiramisu, offering it without a word. I lean forward and meet her eyes as she feeds me the cake.

“What can I do to help you, Tanner?” She takes another bite herself, offering me the next.

I consider the question as I take the cake from her fork. “I’m not sure anything that can be done about it. I’m set in my ways.”

“Have you considered talking to a counselor or therapist?”

She keeps alternating, taking a bite herself, then offering me one.

“I guess I’ve never really seen it as a problem.”

“Are you happy?” she asks abruptly.

I blink, trying to really consider her question before I answer. I promised her I wouldn’t lie to her, and other than downplaying my worry when she was sick, I haven’t. “Sometimes,” I say after a while.

“Would ordering your own dessert have made you happy?” She takes her next bite, then loads the fork with the last of the cake.

“Possibly, though sharing with you has also been fun.”

She smiles. “If you would’ve been happy to have your own dessert, then your issues with spending money on yourself are a problem.” She eats the last bite herself, raising her eyebrows.

“The biggest problem here is that was supposed to be my bite,” I say.

“You should have ordered your own.” She smirks. “We could have shared them both.”

The waiter returns and asks if we need anything else. When we’ve assured him we’re done, we leave. It feels weird to walk out without even seeing the bill, but Richard knows how to pull strings and he’d made sure I couldn’t pay even if I’d wanted to.

---