Page 42 of Trashy Foreplay

I honestly don’t know.

Exiting through the glass doors of Mont Center, we fall into step, side by side. He chooses the restaurant, and we begin the short walk there in companionable silence. I never feel the need to fill the air with useless chatter around him. Even when I’m nervous as fuck, my heart beating too hard, and palms sweaty, being around him feels natural. It feels right, despite that damn ring on his finger.

As soon as we reach our destination, he opens the door for me.

“Just so you know,” I say, catching his gaze, “I’m paying for myself, so don’t even try arguing with me.”

An amused smile plays on his lips. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

The restaurant is a mixture of classy and intimate, but what I like most is the unique ambience I’ve begun to associate with Seattle; laid back and artsy with a touch of grunge. The lights are dim, casting a warm glow over the square tables outfitted with simple white cloths and tea candles. The place is brimming with people, some locals, and some tourists. I don’t think there’s a person here who isn’t engaged in conversation.

Being a Monday night, the wait isn’t long. The hostess leads us to a table on the terrace overlooking Elliot Bay, and the spice of Italian cuisine has my mouth watering.

“Have you been here before?” he asks after we’re seated.

“I haven’t, but I like it.”

“Kaden turned me on to this place. It’s been one of my favorites ever since.”

“I ran into him Saturday night at his club.” I pick up my menu, deciding not to bring up my upcoming “date” with his brother. Hopefully, it’ll be nothing more than a casual outing as friends. Not even worth a mention.

I’m still not sure why I agreed to it in the first place, other than I seem to have an issue telling people no lately.

“He mentioned you and your friend stopped by.”

Flicking my gaze over the top of the menu, I study his expression, but if Kaden told him about our upcoming date, Cash doesn’t show it.

“Les and the guys have been trying to get a gig there for a while. I had no idea your brother owned a club.”

“It’s that whole separate paths thing I was telling you about. The family business didn’t interest him, much to our father’s irritation.”

“Parents can be a bitch sometimes. My mom hasn’t spoken to me in weeks. She’s not happy that I moved out here.”

“Why not?”

“Control, maybe? She likes to meddle. My sister goes along with pretty much everything she wants.” I shrug. “I’ve always butted heads with my mom.”

The server stops by our table, offering wine, but I decline.

Alcohol and married men don’t mix for me.

We give the server our dinner orders, and after he leaves us alone again, Cash picks up our conversation as if it’s the most natural thing in the world. “I know what you mean. Kaden and our father have never seen eye-to-eye.”

“What about you? Do you get along with your parents?”

He frowns. “For the most part. I’ve always followed the plan my father laid out for me. I imagine if I veered from it, things would get tense.”

“Your father sounds headstrong.”

“That’s putting it nicely. My mom had to strong-arm him into stepping down as CEO. He had a heart attack last year.”

“That had to have been scary.”

“It was. It happened right in the middle of the merger with Blake Holdings. The doctors said he was taking on too much and needed to slow down.”

“So you took his place in the company?”

“Didn’t have much choice. It was going to happen at some point anyway.”

---