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I don’t want to go there.
“My shoes are like the usual shoes,” Cady continues and it’s like an unblocked sink with water rushing down the drain, except in Cady’s case, it’s her excitement let out to play. Who else gets to hear this? “But I wanted a thin, clear tread to the bottom, because they’re basically plastic shoes and super slippery, and girls were falling. With my shoes, you get some grip and now they’re the top-ranked shoe for exotic dancers.” She’s proud of this. Proud of creating a shoe. For looking out for other women.
“I had no idea,” I admit. “But—”
I don’t know what I said wrong because suddenly her excitement vanishes. “I have no idea why I told you that,” she cuts in with an expression of disgust on her face. “You don’t care about the footwear of women who take off their clothes for a living.”
Cady is desperate for respect. It’s as clear as if she had a screaming match about how no one liked her. Seeing that doesn’t take away the admiration I have for it, it opens a spot of warmth for her.
“It’s important to women and so it’s important to me. I’ve got an assistant. Alice. She hasn’t had it easy, and the things that she’s told me…” I shake my head. “It’s been an eye-opener. I hate hearing about it, because then I have to do something about it, and my father refuses to donate to charities that don’t have his friends on the board. So I created a foundation, and Alice helps me find the best candidates that we can help. I’m proud of that like you must be proud of your shoes. There are so many ways to help people. Like your websites.”
“You think E helped people?” she asks scornfully.
I may not have ever used the E site to find a woman to date, but I’m not sure how to tactfully explain my opinion of it. “I think that website brought people together,” I manage.
“That’s one way of putting it.”
“How would you put it?”
“I came up with an idea to help people come together to find happiness, and, yes, as a safe way to meet sexual partners. What I didn’t expect or want, is that my sites were seen as the way to cheat on your spouse.”
I glance over with surprise. “I hate that,” she adds.
“What did you think would happen?” I ask carefully.
“Not that it would become the Tinder for committing infidelity.”
“Yeah. That.”
“That’s why I sold it,” she admits. “This new one…”
“Moist and Frisky,” I offer and she laughs.
“Mature Adult Female,” she corrects. “It seems to have reached the proper demographic, thank goodness.”
“Which is unmarried women?”
“I was targeting those who are divorced. Those coming out of an unhappy marriage and looking to rediscover their sexuality.”
I can’t help myself. “Is this from experience?”
“I’ve never been married,” she says flatly.
Her tone tells me to leave it, but I’ve never been good at doing what I’m told. “Never wanted to? Because I can’t imagine you didn’t have a lineup waiting for you as long as the one when the new Apple phone comes out.”
Cady sniffs and turns to the window, which gives me the perfect opportunity to stare at her profile without seeming creepy.
Her skin is pale, like she doesn’t see a lot of the sun. If I ran my finger along her cheek, I think it would be soft. If I touched her lips—
“I’ve had six men propose marriage to me,” Cady says, interrupting my stare fest. “One tried to buy me, and another was charged with attempted kidnapping.”
This time, I wait for the punch line, but she’s serious. “Whoa. I knew you were a prize, but I don’t think it should involve illegal activities.”
“They do things differently in Saudia Arabia.”
“I’m sure.” This time I don’t hide my stare, holding Cady’s gaze until she looks away. “I sense you’re a very interesting woman, Cady Quinn.”
She shrugs and laughs. “If I say no, I’m lying, and if I agree, I’m arrogant. There’s no way to come out of that statement looking good.”
