“Yes. What time should I come over?”
I liked that she volunteered to come over, knowing it would be easiest for me and Lily if she came to my house again. Other girls I’d tried to date usually pitched a fit that I couldn’t go out much. “Six okay?”
“Yep. It’s a date. I mean, I’ll see you then.”
“Great. Oh, and I should probably get your number. You know, just in case I ever need help with Lily. You probably don’t want me calling you at work. And I’ll give you my cell number, in case you ever need anything too.” Like me.
“Okay,” she said softly. Just the sound of her voice brought out the alpha male in me. I knew being alone with her again probably wasn’t a good idea, but I also knew I was powerless to stop it.
Chapter 10
Alexa
MacKenzie and I sat in a corner booth in the hospital cafeteria, taking our lunch break. Well, we called it lunch, but it was three in the morning. I stuck with breakfast foods, while Kenz usually opted for dinner. The one thing we shared in common, though, was the consumption of mass quantities of coffee.
“Part of me does want to break out of my Little-Miss-Goody-Two-shoes image—do something crazy. Grasp onto experiences while I’m still young. I mean is that so bad?” I didn’t mention Cade’s invite to her to. I needed to test the water first.
“Amen, sister.” She raised her cup in a salute.
“I mean, would it be totally crazy if I wanted to, I don’t know, mess around with Cade, see what all the fuss is about…”
MacKenzie spit out a mouthful of coffee. “I didn’t realize we were talking about that!” I mopped the warm liquid from the table in front of her with a stack of napkins. “You do what you want, babe. But you do know he’s not going to be satisfied with straight vanilla sex, right? He’s probably done things we’ve only dreamed about.”
I didn’t know what her dreams consisted of, but vanilla sex was the extent of mine. “Like?”
“Threesomes, orgies, anal sex…”
I held up my hand, stopping her. “Okay. Enough, thanks.” My cheeks flamed at her tirade. I was interested in exploring my sexuality with Cade, but there was no way I was ready for any of that. I couldn’t even hear the words without blushing.
MacKenzie chuckled. “Relax, Lex. I told you. He’d be freakin’ lucky to get a girl like you. I still think you’re too good for the likes of him, but that’s my opinion. Just promise me one thing if you really are set on this.”
Was I set on this? I wasn’t sure. The only thing I was sure about—Cade provoked strange reactions in my body. “What’s that?”
“Have your fun with the p**n star, but promise me that you won’t involve your heart.”
I nearly laughed at her ridiculous warning. My heart? I wanted to assure MacKenzie that there was no possibility of me falling for Cade, but my mind flickered back to his gentle nature with Lily and the words stuck in my throat. I nodded my consent. “My parents set me up with another son-in-law candidate. His name’s Peter and he’s taking me to lunch tomorrow.”
She rolled her eyes. MacKenzie was well-briefed in my parents’ meddling ways. “Okay. Can I give you one tip, in all seriousness, if you’re going to do this?”
“Sure.”
“You’ll want to shave everything—thoroughly—he’s used to those girls in the videos, and you won’t find a speck of hair anywhere on them.”
I rolled my eyes. This was her advice? I wasn’t about to shave off all my pubic hair just to appease a man. Was I?
“I’ve got to get back to work.” I tossed the cup into the trash and stuffed the last bite of bagel into my mouth.
*****
Why I’d agreed to a date with Peter Wyndham III today was beyond me. It was a moment of weakness—my mom had caught me coming off the high of spending time with Cade, and I’d agreed.
I’d first met Peter at last year’s Christmas party at my dad’s office. The same party where they’d paraded me around like a prized possession since the day I turned eighteen. As if I wanted a fat, bloated accountant for a husband. Thankfully Peter had been different. He was twenty-four, fresh out of business school, and felt just as out of place with the middle-aged accountants and their spouses as I did.
We’d spent the evening sitting on a balcony, me with his suit coat draped across my bare shoulders talking about our favorite college courses—mine, philosophy, and his, economics.
My parents had been delighted to see us hit it off. He was a prized catch in their eyes, everything they wanted for me—a white male aged twenty to thirty, good genetics, well-bred, from an upper-middle-class New Hampshire family. Wholesome as a glass of milk. And just as exciting.
Their excitement alone caused me to squirm. I’d avoided his calls and their feeble attempts to set us up for the better part of six months. Which was why I found it baffling that I was currently curling my hair, and ironing my navy shirtdress, getting ready for my date.
We’d made plans to play tennis at the country club where both he and my father were members. I packed my tennis outfit into my large purse, which MacKenzie had named the Mary Poppins bag and went to wait for Peter.
When he pulled up in his sleek silver Lexus, I jogged out to meet him. Peter emerged from the car, all gelled blonde hair and straight white teeth indicating years of orthodontia. He met me at the car door, dressed casually in jeans and a button-up shirt and kissed the back of my hand before helping me inside the car. The rich smell of leather enveloped me and I settled back in my seat.