I bit my lip to hide my smile. “Well, I’ve missed you regardless.”
He stopped mid-step, holding a hand to his heart with a gooey expression on his face. “Oh, honey.” He came up behind me and wrapped his lean but muscular arms around me. “Out of all the people who have lived next door, I find you the least annoying.” He ended on a squeeze.
I choked out a laugh, patting his hand. “That was meant to be a compliment, right?”
He pulled away with wide eyes. “The biggest.” He moved to sit on the sofa and I followed him. He brought his glass to his lips, sipped, then asked, “So, you want to tell me why you’re still seeing the hooker? ‘Cause, sweetie, you’re gorgeous.” He mock-whispered, “You don’t need to pay for nookie.”
I sharp bark of laughter shot out of me. “I’m not paying him for it.” Terry looked stunned but amused. I sipped my juice and added, “Not anymore, anyway.”
Terry beamed excitedly. “Are you telling me that you had this hooker dude take your V-card, and now he wants super fun sexy time with you all the time?” He chuckled. “Shit. Only you, Mia.”
I sputtered and a rant formed, “N-no. Not all the time. I mean…we’re not going at it like rabbits. Well, sometimes, but he’s really quite sweet, and we’re keeping it secret so my brother won’t find out, because, seriously, I think Harry would kick his ass. He’s so protective. Matt’s funny, and easy to talk to, and…” I gulped, my stomach ached violently and let out a strained, “and I’m pretty sure I’m in love with him.”
All the amusement on Terry’s face vanished. He looked as though he was thinking hard about what he was about to say, and something told me it wasn’t going to be something I wanted to hear. “Honey, he’s a prostitute. He sleeps with women for money. I don’t know about you, but he doesn’t seem like the type of person one should fall in love with. You get what I’m saying?”
I did. And he was right. I didn’t respond, so he added a hopeful, “Any chance he’s getting out of the biz?”
I shook my head, my heart in my throat. “No. He said he’s not looking for more.” Suddenly, I threw myself back on the sofa and groaned, “Jesus, Terry! What am I doing?” I was officially freaking out. “He made it clear, you know? We were just sleeping together. And then…” I felt sick, “then I fell in love with him.” I stared down at my hands and uttered a quiet, “I fucked up.”
For the first time since I’d met Terry, he went silent on me. I faced him, and his eyes were full of sympathy. I shook off the bad feeling and forced a smile. “It’s okay though. I have a plan.”
Then he smiled softly. “And what’s the plan, pumpkin?”
I shrugged. “I’ll start dating and just hope I get over him.”
He clapped. “Oh, I can help there! The woman who does my hair, Sondra, was just telling me her brother was looking for a nice girl.” Terry shot me a look. “You’re a nice girl!” He stood, retrieving his phone. “I’m calling Sondra.”
Something was building in the pit of my stomach. I knew exactly what it was.
Guilt.
Because even though Quinn and I were little more than friends slash fuck buddies, part of me still felt as though I was betraying him.
I shot to my feet. “No, wait! I don’t even know what this guy looks like!”
Terry paused, his face tilted in thought. “Okay, I’ll ask her to send a photo of him.”
Was I really going on a blind date with Terry’s hairdresser’s brother? Hell. Talk about hitting the bottom of the barrel. I sighed. “A recent photo, Terry.”
He lifted his hand in acknowledgement and added, “Recent photo. Got it.”
Within minutes, Sondra had responded with a photo of her brother, Christopher. Terry smirked and handed me the phone. I stared in shock, catching flies.
He was seriously hot. It looked as though he was mixed race. He had flawless skin the color of coffee, heavy on the milk. His eyes crinkled in the corners. His lips were full in a way that had my belly twisting. They were luscious. His soft brown eyes, outlined by long black lashes, made me jealous of him. His dark hair was buzzed close to his head, had a nice five-o’clock shadow, and strong shoulders. The photo had been taken at chest height, so I couldn’t exactly see how tall he was, but that wasn’t a big deal for me. In the photograph, he was mid-laugh, and his smile was contagious. Smiling back at the man in the photo, I turned to Terry. “Set it up.”
Terry raised his arms, fists high. “Yes!”
He texted as if his life depended on it, and when Sondra responded, he rushed over, pulling my hair out of my ponytail. “She wants a picture to show her brother.”
I supposed it was only fair. I smiled softly as Terry took the photo then sent it. His phone chimed and he smiled. “She wants your number to pass on.” He winked. “Seems he’s interested.”
I prattled off my number and Terry sent it. My gut churned as my thoughts wandered to Quinn. This was necessary. I needed to do this. For myself. For the sake of my heart.
My phone’s jingle went off in my bag and Terry rushed to grab it. “I’ll bet that’s him!” He handed it to me—well, threw it at me. “Read it!”
I chuckled at how excited he was.
The message was from an unknown number.
Unknown: Hi, Mia. My name is Christopher, but please call me Kit. My sister Sondra and your friend Terry seem to think we should meet. I’d love to take you out for dinner, if you’ll let me.
Terry hooted with laughter. “Oh my, he is sharp.” He nudged me hard. “What are you waiting for? Respond!”
I rubbed at my arm then answered.
Me: Hi, Kit. I’d love to have dinner with you sometime :) Looking forward to meeting you. Mia x
The response was immediate.
Kit: I don’t want to sound too eager, but is tonight good for you?
I smiled down at my phone. He was well-mannered. He actually sounded very nice.
Me: Tonight is actually good. Can I meet you somewhere?”
Kit: There’s this place I like downtown that does Italian better than they serve in Italy. How does 9 sound? If it won’t make you uncomfortable, I’d like to pick you up and take you home myself. My mother would be so disappointed in me if I didn’t.
With every further text, I was liking this man more and more. It seemed like his mother had raised him to be a gentleman, and that was more than okay with me.
Me: Okay. I’ll send you my address, and 9 is great. Looking forward to meeting you, Kit.
Kit: As am I, Mia. See you then.
I blinked down at my phone in confusion, then up at the wall. “That was it? That’s all it took to get a date?”
Terry burst into laughter, hugging me to his side. “Oh, sweetie, I wish you could see yourself through my eyes. Then you’d know why it was that easy. Now…what are you going to wear?”
I narrowed my eyes at him. His smile immediately made me weary. I knew I was in trouble.
As Terry went to town dressing me up like a doll, I received a message.
Quinn: What are you doing tonight? Want to have another sleepover? I promise not to touch your alarm this time. Scout’s honor.
I stared at the text and my chest squeezed. With a heavy heart, I sat my phone down without responding.
Kit was everything a first date should be. He was sweet and attentive, and his smile was the stuff of daydreams. It turns out he was in advertising, working as a consultant for high-end companies on the strip.
When he arrived at my door, I answered and looked up…and up…and up, still, to his smiling face. He greeted me with a hug then handed me a single yellow rose, but I still couldn’t get past his height. He was enormous! When I asked him if he was related to Andre the Giant, he laughed good-naturedly, explaining that all the men in his family were over six-feet tall, whereas the women tended to be on the short side.