Page 76 of The Baby Bargain
"Then I like him."
* * *
I hate him.
Bachelor Number Two flirts more openly. It's just dirty enough to keep her engaged. Comments about how nicely her dress hugs her figure. How much he loves her dark hair. How beautiful her eyes look when she laughs.
Yeah, her dress—this tight black thing that stops just below her ass—makes her look like a goddess.
Yeah, any sane guy would want to see her dark hair in his hands.
Yeah, her eyes are beautiful when she laughs.
Yeah, I can't stop imagining what they look like when she comes.
But this isn't about me.
It's about this guy who makes her laugh, and touches her arm, and glances at her tits in a way that saysI want you, but I care enough to look you in the eyes when we talk.
They flirt through two rounds of drinks. Decaf coffee for him. Herbal tea for her.
He kisses her goodbye.
She steps backward, blushing and nervous. Whispers a promise to call him. Watches him leave.
Then she goes to me, looking for my stamp of approval.
What the fuck can I say?I hate that it isn't me?
I force a smile. "Do you like him?"
She chews on her bottom lip. "He seems like he understands what I want."
"If you like him, I like him."
She nodsgood, but the look she returns is off. Like she doesn't believe me.
* * *
The week is torture.I work. I hit the gym. I cook. I text Ariel all night. About my comic book collection. And hers. And why Batman is overdone. But I must love him, because he's so dark and brooding and he carries the world around on his shoulders.
And, yeah, maybe I invite her over to watch sci-fi.
Maybe she suggests theDaredevilTV show. Because isn't Matt Murdock even more of a mopey motherfucker than I am?
Maybe I watch her more than I watch the action. Maybe she falls asleep in my lap, again.
Maybe I can't handle how much the TV show makes me think of my brother Hunter—it's his favorite.
So I think about her instead. About her red lips on my neck. Her soft thighs around my hips. Her short nails on my back.
It doesn't mean anything.
We still end every conversation withyou ready for Bachelor Number Three?
On Thursday, they meet at that same coffee shop. She's back in her red dress and done with her shyness. She struts into the place like she owns it. Stares at this guy—a handsome Asian dude with swimmer's shoulders—like she knows he wants her.
And he does.
