AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“So what’s the game plan then? No more women, parties, and cars?”
“Well, I’m not getting rid of any of my cars, but I promise to obey the rules of the road. I have no interest in parties anymore; I’m far too old to be bothered with that nonsense.”
“And women?” She takes a bite of her shrimp salad, her eyes shifting down to her plate.
“Women,” I say before taking a bite of my food. I chew slowly, choosing my words wisely before answering. “I’m not going to be celibate if that’s the ask, but I promise to make wiser choices. More age-appropriate choices that are most definitely in no way married or engaged.”
“That sounds like a wise decision. Have you only dated younger women?”
I shake my head. “No, not at all. In fact, I’ve only seriously dated women closer to my age, but the tabloids don’t like those stories because they don’t sell. I’ve certainly been photographed with more young women than I’ve dated. Some were literally just standing next to me; others were merely on my arm to get into a club or a party and I never talked to them again.”
“How old are you?” she asks.
“Old enough to be your father.” I’m not sure why I answered like that.
“My father is forty-eight.”
“Not too far off then. Forty-six.”
She chews her bottom lip like she’s unsure if she should ask her next question. But then she gives me that smile, that mischievous one that hides something behind it. “And what is age appropriate for a forty-six-year-old man?”
“How old are you?”
“Twenty-four, soon to be twenty-five.”
There’s a palpable tension between us right now. She knows she’s goading me; she knows I want to say she’s old enough.
Is this a game for her? Something she’s done with other older men? This isn’t what I expected from her the first time I saw her. She bounces between timid and innocent, staunch in her beliefs that the world is black and white, and then there’s this.
I can’t decide if this is some sort of fantasy in her head, the older man, professor trope or if she’s trying to test me, but the thoughts I’ve had about her… the thoughts I’m having right now of reaching across this table to drag her into my lap so I can teach her a hard lesson about teasing me aren’t just a cute game for me. She’s plagued my thoughts since the moment I met her and I can’t ruin her life for a quick fuck, no matter how many times I beat off in the shower imagining it.
I know where this is leading and I decide that as much as I’ve enjoyed these little intimate moments of innuendo, I have to shut it down before she gets it into her head that I would ever go for her. That I ever could go for her.
“I need to get back to the office.” I stand up and toss my napkin onto the table as I reach for my coat. “Apologies for the quick exit.” I toss several bills on the table. “The tab is paid and here’s extra for a cab home.”
She stares up at me, her fork frozen halfway to her lips. I know I’m not behaving like a gentleman, but it’s time she realizes I’m not one… not in the slightest.
“I’ll see you in class, Miss James.”
Chapter 6
Presley
I watch as Cyrus walks briskly out of the restaurant, shrimp salad still halfway to my mouth that’s hanging open in confusion.
I shake my head as if that will help me understand what just happened and shovel the forkful of food into my mouth with a shrug. There’s no sense in a good lunch going to waste. I finish my meal, thanking the staff before heading out.
Instead of calling a cab, I decide to walk the three blocks to my train station. I pull my phone out of my pocket and call Serenity, hoping she’s still at lunch.
“Hey, girl. I was just heading back to the office from lunch. Been dying to hear how the interview went.”
I had sent her a text about it, right before sending that ridiculous email to Cyrus.
“I was hoping I’d catch you at lunch. I just had two of the strangest interactions.”
“Oh?”
“Well, the first one was good strange; it was the interview itself. Lisa is exactly what you’d imagine, but nice, like… genuinely nice.”
