Page 13 of Explicit Demands

Woman on top

Thatnight,Katefoundherself at dinner with Gerard. She had chosen a table in the center of the dining room, surrounded by staff and guests alike. There was no way Gerard would be able to do anything to her, but she wasn’t really concerned about that.

The hotel staff were busy going around the tables, filling up the water and wine glasses. Most of the food was served on a buffet but there was a small menu of main courses and desserts that were made to order.

Kate didn’t want any of that—she’d helped herself to a salad at the buffet and kept filling up on wine. She had to, really. Being on a date with such a young guy wasn’t an easy thing to stomach.

Over the dinner, she’d learned that he was an eye-watering age of twenty-one years old. He could only just about drink. Kate knew she had no business being with him on this date, leading him on, but he was clearly interested.

Kate watched as he reached across the table and took her hand in his.

“You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,” he said, whispering so quietly that Kate strained to hear him. “Just stunning. Perfection.”

Kate wanted to roll her eyes and pat his hand condescendingly. “Oh, honey,” she sighed. “You’re young. You don’t know what beauty really is.”

He frowned at her deeply. “What do you mean?”

“You’re young,” Kate said, removing her hand from beneath his. “You just don’t know the true meaning of beauty yet.”

Gerard looked confused for a moment. “A beautiful face,” he said slowly. “That’s the meaning of beauty, no?”

Kate nodded as she sipped at her red wine. She wasn’t going to argue with him. She worked hard to look nice, sure, butherbeauty wasn’t skin-deep.

As people aged, it became clear that looks weren’t everything. Over the years, beauty fades, and what was left was what was inside. If you were a bad person on the inside, you weren’t beautiful, no matter how great you looked.

There was no point talking to him about all of this. He was a young, hormone-fueled boy who had almost no life experience. Hell, he was still in college, here taking a quick break between exams.

“You said you’re in college?” Kate asked, trying to distract him. “What are you studying?”

“English,” Gerard said, his voice sultry and quiet. “I love reading old, romantic stories from England’s history.”

Kate felt the cynicism rising inside of her. “Like Romeo and Juliet?” She asked. “Those kinds of stories?”

“Yes,” Gerard whispered excitedly. “Yes, Shakespeare is one of my favorites. I love his works. We study his plays at school all the time.”

“Of course,” Kate nodded, trying to sound upbeat.

She found it hard, though. What was romantic about the two leads dying in the end? That wasn’t something she thought people should aspire to.

“And what else do you like to read?” She asked. “Anything modern?”

“No,” Gerard shook his head. “Some poetry, but nothing modern really. It’s all so… trashy.”

Trashy, Kate thought.Why is he interested in me?

Kate had been called trashy so many times in her life. Sleeping with men whenever she liked, displaying her body in any way she pleased, and staying a single mother instead of getting remarried. All of those things made her somewhat trashy back home.

He’s European,Kate reminded herself.They have different definitions of family, or what’s trashy.

“What do you like to do for fun?” Kate asked.

She set her wine back on the table between them, and watched as Gerard smiled at the change of conversation. Then he leaned in closer to her, his eyes sparkling.

“Making love,” he said. “Looking at the stars. Reading, writing, but mostly poetry.”

Poetry again, Kate thought.Christ, he really believes in this stuff.

She didn’t want to shit all over his ideals so she politely nodded and smiled. Just being in his presence made her feel so broken. Life hadn’t given her the best of times and she had accepted that, but being around someone so green and eager made her heart sting.

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