Page 7 of Consultation with Dad's Best Friend
I’m so mad I don’t speak to Mike on our way to Pier Steakhouse.
When Mike asks what I would like to eat, I say whatever, and he orders a cowboy steak dinner with fries for me. I gobble it down without a word, gazing at the ocean in front of us as we eat, feeling his eyes glancing over me from time to time.
Thanks to the delicious food, I feel better soon. I finish the last piece of fries and say, “Thank you for dinner, Mike. It’s so good.”
“You’re welcome, Kitty. Any dessert?” Mike asks, smiling as he hands me the menu.
“Mm… yes,” I say. I’ve burned enough calories walking earlier, so it wouldn’t hurt indulging myself a bit more. “I would like the cherry cheesecake.”
The cheesecake arrives soon, a generous portion with lots of syrup and a few fresh cherries.
“I like your appetite,” Mike says as he watches me savoring my dessert.
“Thanks,” I say. “I’m a ravenous girl.”
I haven’t forgiven him yet, but I’m not mad anymore. I take a cherry by the stem and stick the tip of my tongue out. I lick the cherry slowly and roll it on my tongue a few times before putting it between my teeth.
Mike’s eyes turn dark, and he swallows.
Without closing my lips, I bite through the cherry slowly and let the juice run down my chin and drip onto my shirt.
“Oops,” I say and playfully wipe the stain on the top of my breast. It’s a trick I learned online as well. This gesture should drive a man crazy, and I’m testing it.
Mike’s gaze falls onto my shirt, and he gulps. “You are such a naughty girl, Kitty,” he whispers and shifts in his seat.
I glance at his pants and see that the tent is back. Yep. The trick works.
I chew the cherry and spit out the pit. “Looks like you want some cherry, Mike,” I say with a seductive smile, holding a cherry and nudging it against his lips.
He grasps my hand and pushes it away, his eyes narrowing as he glares at me.
“I know what you’re doing, little girl,” he says. “You’re trying to wind me up. But you’re wasting your time. I’m a man with infinite patience and unlimited willpower.”
My smile freezes. Of course. If Mike were that easy, he would’ve been taken already, right? He would’ve been married many times already. He would’ve had a harem and with an army of children.
I feel silly about my immature attempts. I bite my lip and hold back my tears of humiliation. But I don’t want to give up. Mike is patient, and he is tough. It’s why he’s such a successful lawyer. It’s why I love him so much for so long. I never care for guys in school because obviously none of them is as successful as Mike.
I want Mike. I could’ve headed directly home after the finals, but I told my dad I needed to stay in LA to hang out with friends. The truth is I wanted to spend time with Mike. I know he’s been avoiding me for a reason. At my dad’s wedding, Mike’s eyes never left me, and neither did mine leave him. The attraction we had for each other was so strong it nearly drove me crazy. I was hoping to spend time with him alone afterward, but he left without even saying goodbye.
I now know the reason. He thinks I’m off-limits. I have to convince him I’m not. But how? Mike is a lawyer. How on earth am I going to win an argument against him?
I feel miserable for a moment, and then I remember what we did earlier at the beach. I recall the fire in his eyes, and I cheer up. I need to be patient, too, and maybe a bit of a strategy. I’ve saved my cherry for Mike, and I’m determined to have him popped it.
I have a week to accomplish my goal, but I need a plan. I think quickly about what to do.
“Are you seeing anyone, Mike?” I ask casually on our way back to his house.
He doesn’t answer right away. “Why do you ask?”
“I’m just curious.”
“No. I don’t have any.”
“Why not?”
“I’m too busy.”
“I see.” I stifle my smile and feel hopeful.
