widened at his risqué remark in front of his friends as she smacked him lightly on the arm. “Will,” she chastised.
Jessica laughed. “Oh, you’d better get used to that, sweetheart. These two men thrive on teasing.”
“And you love it,” Kent replied. As he spoke, Will could see Kent’s attention spark at Keira’s innocent response to his joke.
“Two specials it is then,” Will said to Jessica.
53
Mari Carr
“I’ll tell the chef to prepare them,” she replied.
“That’s a lovely necklace,” Keira said. “I haven’t been able to take my eyes off it.
Where did you get it?”
Jessica fingered the choker-style necklace. “It was a wedding gift from Kent,” she replied, smiling.
“You have good taste,” Keira said to Kent. Will watched his friend nod politely, but he could see the wheels in his best friend’s head processing and assessing the situation.
Jessica’s necklace was a collar, and anyone familiar with the lifestyle would know it.
Keira’s remark showed her true inexperience.
He’d called Kent this morning to book the table but hadn’t mentioned anything in particular about Keira, other than to say he would be bringing a date. His friend had just naturally assumed she would be like all his past dates—older, more sexually experienced, a trained submissive.
“Well, we’ll leave you both to your wine. It was nice to meet you, Keira,” Jessica said.
“You too.”
“Give me a call tomorrow, Will. Maybe we can set up a golf date,” Kent added.
Will almost laughed aloud at his friend’s lie. Kent couldn’t hit a golf ball with a hockey stick. He was facing a serious third degree from his friend in the morning. “I’ll do that,” he answered smoothly.
As his friends left, he picked up his wineglass. “To us,” he said, clinking his glass to hers.
“To us,” she repeated.
“I have to admit, Keira, I never noticed this whimsical side of you in class.” He gestured to her outfit and she groaned, shaking her head.
“Oh God. I know. Isn’t it awful? I almost called to cancel when I realized I had nothing to wear. I borrowed this from Teagan.”
54
Come Monday
He nodded, smiling at her humor. “Ah, well, that makes sense then. I was having trouble reconciling the straitlaced business major to this flower-child-of-the-sixties look.”
“I’m afraid my current wardrobe is rather lacking in ‘something pretty’,” she said, repeating his directions from the previous night. “I’m a jeans girl, through and through.”
He considered her comment, wondering how he could verbalize his next thought without pissing her off. “I’ve noticed that you tend to hide behind your wardrobe.
Actually, I’ve just been sitting here thinking about the way you present yourself in general.”
She sobered up at his comment, her posture going stiff in the seat. “What do you mean?”
Oh yeah, he’d definitely crossed into no man’s land. “You’re a very lovely woman,” he said, watching her face carefully. She relaxed a bit until he ruined the compliment with his next words. “You do realize hiding behind ponytails and sloppy clothing isn’t going to change that?”
“I don’t do that,” she insisted.
“I’m afraid you do. You seem to go out of your way to project this image of plainness and I wish you would stop. Give the real Keira a chance to emerge.” His words were harsher than he’d intended and when her eyes narrowed, he knew he’d finally gone that one step too far. For all intents and purposes, this was their first date and he was talking to her far too directly, too possessively. “I apologize,” he added quickly. “I’m afraid that came out wrong.”
“Actually,” she said, her voice stiff with anger, “I think it came out exactly right.
Last night, when you said you weren’t an easy man to be with, that you were a Dominant…is this what you meant?”
55
Mari Carr
He tried to decide how to answer her question. He’d skirted
Jessica laughed. “Oh, you’d better get used to that, sweetheart. These two men thrive on teasing.”
“And you love it,” Kent replied. As he spoke, Will could see Kent’s attention spark at Keira’s innocent response to his joke.
“Two specials it is then,” Will said to Jessica.
53
Mari Carr
“I’ll tell the chef to prepare them,” she replied.
“That’s a lovely necklace,” Keira said. “I haven’t been able to take my eyes off it.
Where did you get it?”
Jessica fingered the choker-style necklace. “It was a wedding gift from Kent,” she replied, smiling.
“You have good taste,” Keira said to Kent. Will watched his friend nod politely, but he could see the wheels in his best friend’s head processing and assessing the situation.
Jessica’s necklace was a collar, and anyone familiar with the lifestyle would know it.
Keira’s remark showed her true inexperience.
He’d called Kent this morning to book the table but hadn’t mentioned anything in particular about Keira, other than to say he would be bringing a date. His friend had just naturally assumed she would be like all his past dates—older, more sexually experienced, a trained submissive.
“Well, we’ll leave you both to your wine. It was nice to meet you, Keira,” Jessica said.
“You too.”
“Give me a call tomorrow, Will. Maybe we can set up a golf date,” Kent added.
Will almost laughed aloud at his friend’s lie. Kent couldn’t hit a golf ball with a hockey stick. He was facing a serious third degree from his friend in the morning. “I’ll do that,” he answered smoothly.
As his friends left, he picked up his wineglass. “To us,” he said, clinking his glass to hers.
“To us,” she repeated.
“I have to admit, Keira, I never noticed this whimsical side of you in class.” He gestured to her outfit and she groaned, shaking her head.
“Oh God. I know. Isn’t it awful? I almost called to cancel when I realized I had nothing to wear. I borrowed this from Teagan.”
54
Come Monday
He nodded, smiling at her humor. “Ah, well, that makes sense then. I was having trouble reconciling the straitlaced business major to this flower-child-of-the-sixties look.”
“I’m afraid my current wardrobe is rather lacking in ‘something pretty’,” she said, repeating his directions from the previous night. “I’m a jeans girl, through and through.”
He considered her comment, wondering how he could verbalize his next thought without pissing her off. “I’ve noticed that you tend to hide behind your wardrobe.
Actually, I’ve just been sitting here thinking about the way you present yourself in general.”
She sobered up at his comment, her posture going stiff in the seat. “What do you mean?”
Oh yeah, he’d definitely crossed into no man’s land. “You’re a very lovely woman,” he said, watching her face carefully. She relaxed a bit until he ruined the compliment with his next words. “You do realize hiding behind ponytails and sloppy clothing isn’t going to change that?”
“I don’t do that,” she insisted.
“I’m afraid you do. You seem to go out of your way to project this image of plainness and I wish you would stop. Give the real Keira a chance to emerge.” His words were harsher than he’d intended and when her eyes narrowed, he knew he’d finally gone that one step too far. For all intents and purposes, this was their first date and he was talking to her far too directly, too possessively. “I apologize,” he added quickly. “I’m afraid that came out wrong.”
“Actually,” she said, her voice stiff with anger, “I think it came out exactly right.
Last night, when you said you weren’t an easy man to be with, that you were a Dominant…is this what you meant?”
55
Mari Carr
He tried to decide how to answer her question. He’d skirted
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