Page 54 of Treason's Temptation
Tamera leaned in, perching her chin on her hands. “So what happened next?”
“We bet on it. She lost by the way and had to let me take her dinner,” Treason replied.
“Sounds like a very competitive household,” Tamera egged on.
“Very competitive,” Treason agreed.
“Despite your reservations, dinner must’ve gone well because you’re sitting here today.”
“After dinner, we spent the night talking. Finally, I asked if I could tell him something.”
Treason’s smile dissolved, while Tamera’s eyes grew wide, hanging on the edge of her seat for more details.
“And what was that?”
“That one of his ears is bigger than the other.”
Tamera and the crowd laughed while I gave an exaggerated shrug before Treason grabbed my neck, pulling me into his kiss.
“I was trying to lighten the mood because he was extremely nervous, believe it or not. At first, I thought it was an act. There was no way Mr. Popularity was nervous sitting across from little ‘ole me. I mean, look at this face.”
I grabbed his chin, but he didn’t pull away when I squeezed it either. The little demon was enjoying our back and forth while Fallon was on the verge of a heart attack. This wasn’t the romantic meeting she had crafted, but it was fun.
“No way!” Tamera yelped, eating up the bullshit Navie served like Filet Mignon. “What made you so nervous, Treason?”
“She’s hard to forget. Look at her. I still remember her hair was curled and pinned up with those swirly things the girls love, but her smile sold me. I was ready to call Mom and tell her I found my wife.”
The story was fake, but the intensity was real. My cheeks grew warm as I eased into a smile that made my eyes disappear.
“So after she clowned your ears, what did you say back? By the way, they look pretty even from here.”
“Thank you, thank you,” he half-bowed, still orchestrating his response. “I told her she had me at the broad shoulders. I feel safe with her having my back, nothing is getting past those.”
“Then I said, hmm, he has a sense of humor. Maybe he’s not your typical politician,” I added, “As long as you know nothing is getting past me.”
“So I’m assuming it went well after that?”
“We exchanged numbers, but I wasn’t thinking anything of it until he called. We had good conversations, but I was fresh out of something, so I turned him down so many times.”
But of course, Treason couldn’t let me have all the fun.
“Bluefinally agreed to let me take her out, so I had to bring out my best stuff.”
He grabbed my face and pulled me in for a kiss that almost made me forget we were on live television until Tamera cleared her throat.
“Oh, really? Tell me more about your best stuff, but remember, this is daytime television,” she adjusted her mic and leaned in, eager for the story.
“As soon as we pulled up, she was sizing the spot up, thinkingthis man really took me to a damn strip mall for a date?”
“Is that what you were thinking, Navie?”
“I was thinking this might be the last time I see this man if he doesn’t land this plane.”
“I knew it too, but I didn’t say anything, just kept walking her inside, through the back door. She gave me that side-eye and asked, 'Where are you taking me?'We got downstairs, and old-school hip-hop blasting, air hockey tables, and retro consoles hooked up, like it was somebody’s basement in the ‘90s. It was chill but a good night.”
“That sounds so romantic,” Tamera gushed over the details of our first date. It sounded like a hell of a time. It definitely would’ve worked on me.
“And where did the nicknameBluecome from?” Tamera asked.
