Page 8 of Ocean's Lost Octopus
You will as long as they decide you’re good for me.Why did that sound so sexy?
I plan to be good for you. If you’ll let me.
A slight pause before he said,Let’s start with a date.
What day is good for you?
We figured out an evening when we were both free and said good night. What were the odds I’d find someone like him living in the very building where I did? Even if I was only there for a limited time. Bob had messaged earlier in the day to say it looked like a full-year’s tour, and I couldn’t mind that at all. Not with such great neighbors. Neighbor.
With zero chance of getting any more work done tonight, I turned off the laptop and closed the lid. The tally had been the important thing. I could catch up on the rest when I got in the next afternoon.
For tonight, I was going home to sleep and hopefully have very pleasant dreams of a certain little who was very big in the corporate world. Two interesting sides of him to discover.
Chapter Seven
Ocean
I was trying not to get my hopes up too much when it came to things with Duncan. It was difficult not to, especially when so far, all of our text flirting had been fun and easy. There was none of the awkwardness that often came with getting to know someone. I didn’t stare at my phone and wonder whether or not I should be hitting send or not. There was something so reassuring about him that I was able to be myself without hemming and hawing over my every move.
Best of all, as of yet, I hadn’t sensed any intimidation over my day job, which was a relief. After I had given him that card, I’d second-guessed it a thousand times. And now, I saw how silly that had been.
It was finally date night. All he told me was that we were going to grab something to eat, nothing fancy, meaning, I could wear whatever I wanted. I’d have preferred a dress code, but that was asking a bit much.
The few times I flirted too close to the “daddy” line, he backed us up. I didn’t take it as him not being interested in that role with anyone, or even with me in particular. It was more that I was pushing too soon. First, we had to see if we liked each other and were compatible. This told me a lot, and mostly that he wanted more than just someone to play with. He was looking for a relationship, or at least exploring the possibilities of one. I was down for that.
I wore suits all week long, so sliding on a pair of jeans for our night out felt relaxing and easy. We decided to meet down at the parking garage to make it easier. I’d never dated anybody who lived in my building before, so I wasn’t exactly sure of the protocol. I mean, I suppose he could come get me by going upthe elevator, or I could go meet him by going down the elevator, but there didn’t seem a point to picking each other up, since we were both going to the same garage.
He was already there when I arrived. His eyes raked me up and down. He liked what he saw; there was no denying that. I liked what I saw too.
I wasn’t sure what to do. Did I hug him? Did I not? As I crossed over to him, he opened his arms slightly in invitation, and I decided it was a hugging kind of day. As I wrapped my arms around him for a quick hug, I instantly wanted it to be longer. His strong arms held me tightly for those brief seconds, making me feel safe. Not that I lived my life in fear, but it was a different kind of safe…all protected like, all cozy. I tried not to think too hard on it. Once again, I was racing toward a relationship we were nowhere near ready for.
“I think I picked out the perfect restaurant,” he said, grabbing my hand and leading me to his car. Unlike me, he didn’t have an assigned spot. He was in the general parking. Not for the first time, I worried that if he saw just how different we were, how unbalanced in a way that I didn’t think mattered, but most men did, he’d walk away. Did he? Was he one of those guys? I didn’t think so, but I’d been fooled before.
He held the door open for me, and, when I climbed inside, he helped buckle me up. It was hard for me not to think of him as a “daddy” and stay big when he acted like this. I had to constantly remind myself he was just being a gentleman, and this was what gentlemen did.
“I found someplace I think you’ll love,” he said. “You said you liked meat, right?”
“Oh, I do.”
“I thought maybe we could go to the new Korean barbecue place.”
“I didn’t know there was one, but I’m game.” My stomach growled as if to show its agreement. How embarrassing.
It felt like one of those dinners that not only had good food but also involved an activity, so that if conversation lulled, you could at least be cooking. I didn’t think we would need that, but it was nice that he picked a place that would allow for it. You never knew how things would end up once you get on your date. So far, it was great, but that didn’t mean it would stay that way.
Once again, I was overthinking.
The parking lot for the restaurant was packed, which was a good sign. When we walked in, the people ahead of us were told it was a two-hour wait. I wasn’t in the mood to wait two hours, not with the delicious smells slamming into me, but I would.
“Reservation for two, under Duncan,” he said.
Of course, we didn’t have to wait. He was a daddy, even if he wasn’t mine. He took care of things.
“Right this way.” They led us to a table and asked us if we’d ever been there before. When I told them that I hadn’t, they explained how everything worked. I spent the next ten minutes looking at the menu, trying to figure out which of the gazillion types of meat to pick.
“Is it too much for me to ask you to pick? Since you’ve been here before.”
“You don’t need a reason to ask me to pick,” he said, taking the menu from me. “I’ll just do it. Is there anything you’d dislike?”
