Page 14 of They Call Me Dom

“Thank you for the compliment. That wisdom comes from life’s lessons. I’m twenty-eight. I’ve been on my own since I was twenty.”

“Damn. Forgive me if I treat you like an object in a museum, but I’m truly in awe of you. Lai and I have always had our families’ support, which helped motivate us to choose our career paths. But here you are, a shining fucking light that is just as successful all on your own with no help. No support or family, but you never gave up. You really are special.”

Dom went to speak, but a line of customers came out of nowhere. They were all so thirsty and frantic to get their sweets from Dom. Since it was a long line, she helped me bag and the process went faster. Once we finished, Dom was out of everything. I helped her take down her sign and pack everything in their respective cases. When we finished, I walked to her small SUV then packed her trunk with her belongings. We talked as she stood next to me. Who would’ve thought the sound of her sweet yet sultry voice would mellow me out so much? I wasn’tworked up or out of breath, but I felt so calm around her. It felt like being at home with Lai. How could that be?

I hit the button on her trunk, and it automatically lowered. When it closed fully, I turned to her. “Follow me. I’ll take you to get some of the best food on this side of town. Are you still down, or do you wanna take a rain check and go home to relax?”

Dom walked up on me, breasts resting against my solid chest. Her lips were pursed in my direction while her eyes trained solely on me.

“There’s no one at home waiting for me. I’m where I wanna be,” she affirmed.

She stared up at me as if stars danced around my head. I leaned down so our noses were inches away from touching while I looked into her eyes.

“Music to my ears. Let’s roll, beautiful.”

She nodded slowly then snapped her mouth closed. I saw Dom was good at following commands.My type of girl.I kissed her forehead then helped her inside of her car. Once she was comfortable, I climbed into my truck then drove away.

Dom laughed loudlyas I revealed my many disasters in medical school. Now that I reflected back on them, they were funny as hell, but during that time, I questioned heavily if I was on the right path. I was.

“I feel so bad for laughing. It’s just funny how you tell stories. You’re such a great storyteller. I can listen to you speak all day,” she professed.

I swallowed the tender, well-seasoned stuffed oyster.

“Thank you. You have a wonderful voice yourself. Now, you’ve listened to me make a fool of myself. Tell me about you outside of work. Who is Domaneek?”

I chased another bite of my meal with my red wine then gave her my full attention. Dom swallowed her own wine with a smirk.

“Let’s see. I’m a lover of music, movies, and books. Books are definitely my love language. I’ve been an avid reader since I was a kid. I’m a girly girl, so fresh acrylic sets, pedicures, facials, and waxes are a must. I love to stay in, and I enjoy going out. That’s pretty much me in the nutshell. Oh! I’m a foodie. I think I’m a bartender in my head, and I enjoy a good bubble bath.” She chuckled at herself. “What are you like outside of work, Dr. Cones?”

“I love how carefree and personable you are. You enjoy the same things that most women do, and I have no problem with making sure you’re able to keep up that lifestyle.”

Dom’s brows merged.

“What do you mean?” she quizzed, covering her mouth while she talked and chewed.

“Meaning, I’m not just going to sleep with you and not care for you like I do Lai. You’re worth more than sex to me. We on the same page?”

She nodded with a smirk. “You don’t have to, love.”

“Yes, I do, and that’s all I’ma say about that.”

“Well, damn, handsome face. I understand, and I’ma drop it,” Dom stated with a giggle.

“Good girl. Now let’s see. Outside of work, I love to hike, and I make survival and food videos in the woods. I have quite the following on social media,” I announced with a smirk. I really enjoyed my hobby.

“No way. That’s so cool, love. How did you get into hiking and then making content for your hobby?” she queried, diving back into her food.

I cleaned my mouth then swallowed.

“My dad used to take my brothers and I hiking every weekend to burn off some of our high energy. We used to drive our mom crazy. Thank goodness our dad was a wilderness man. That’s how my love for nature was birthed. Are you an outdoorsy person?”

Dom pretended to choke on her wine as her eyes shifted from to side to side like a cartoon character. She made me laugh. Her sense of humor was everything to me.

“I am not an outdoorsy person. I am a city girl through and through. My name and the wilderness don’t even go in the same sentence.”

“I get it, but would you try it for me? I promise not to let you get hurt, and you’ll discover peace like never before,” I replied, gazing into her eyes.

Dom stared at me and allowed a few seconds to pass by before she finally decided to respond.

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