Read Online Crave: A BWWM Romance by Sadie Black - Free Book Online Page A

window. Though it was not strictly reserved for him, he considered this table his regular. It overlooked a sloping bit of woods that lost itself to a miniature creek. The occasional rabbit could be seen skittering away the way rabbits do. My Dad liked laughing at them and commenting on the colors of the birds. On a really good day, a cardinal would come through and he’d spend what felt like an hour discussing the reasons why male birds were so much flashier than female ones.
    As we sat there, gazing out at the creek and considering our menus, there was a conga line of Dad’s friends coming to greet us at the table. I hated this the most about country clubs. Eating in the parlor was like going to a restaurant where everybody knows you and feels entitled to bother you. Of course, my Dad relished it. He was like a king on his throne, recognizing his subjects as they passed. I, on the other hand, maintained that, if I didn’t come here with you, I don’t want to talk to you. I did my best to smile and shake hands and exchange pleasantries. I was a terrible country clubber, but I was a good son.
    “Francis,” a man in a tweed getup said with way too much pressure on the ‘a’. “You missed out last weekend. We had a string quartet out on the green. Cocktails and everything.”
    “Yeah Cutter, I heard. Can’t catch ‘em all though. I was on a trip.”
    “I heard. Vegas huh? Midlife getting you down?” Cutter gave a shockingly healthy laugh considering how nasal his voice sounded.
    “That’s the one. And I don’t just recommend it for mid-life. Go there any time and you’ll have a blast.”
    “No kidding. I would, but the missus would lay into me real good.” Cutter leaned forward, one hand cupping his mouth, as if his wife were waiting just around the corner to bite his head off.
    “That she would. Well, that’s the bachelor life I guess. You miss out on a string quartet every once in a while.” Dad grinned and tipped his glass toward Cutter.
    Thankfully, it appeared that Cutter was the last of our admirers. It was just in time too as the waiter brought over a shrimp cocktail and some dry martinis. I cherished the olive for a moment, mashing it joyfully between my teeth. I did not often drink martinis, but when I did, this was my favorite part. The pop of vodka in my mouth reminded me of gushers from when I was a kid. Only, these gushers could get you drunk.
    “So.” I narrowed my eyes at my Dad. “Vegas? You didn’t tell me you were going on a trip?”
    “What’s the matter kid? Worried your Dad has more of a night life than you these days?”
    “No. Not really.” I grinned at him. “Vegas just doesn’t seem like you, Mr. organization, responsibility, synergy, whatever.”
    “Well, I’m learning too late in life that life is, in fact, short. I wanted to step out a little and what better place to do that than the city that never sleeps?”
    “That’s New York. Las Vegas is Sin City.”
    “Even better!”
    I laughed and popped a shrimp into my mouth. I liked seeing my Dad like this. He’d been wound too tightly for too long. I just wondered why he wanted to tell me about his trip here. It would have been way more fun to discuss at a pub downtown.
    “So, you had fun?”
    “Oh yes.”
    “Win any money?”
    “A little. Although I didn’t do as much gambling as I’d planned.”
    “No? Why’s that. Decided to catch a magic show instead?”
    “No smart-ass. I met someone.”
    I almost choked on my second shrimp. Dad met someone? The same man who had been on three dates in the past ten years and hated all of them?
    “Was it terrible?” I asked suspiciously.
    “No. It was wonderful. I really enjoyed her company.”
    “Her? So it was a human woman?”
    “Yes, she was a human woman. Jesus Cole, I’m not that out of practice.”
    “I’m just saying, if you’re last three dates are a testament to anything, human women are not your favorite people.”
    “What are you talking about? Those