AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’m not sure. It would’ve been painful, though. And … likely made him sterile.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Paige saw a man at a nearby table with a book in his hands, watching Jules. He was clean-shaven, with dark hair and blue eyes that were somehow enhanced by the dark-rimmed glasses he wore, giving him a Clark Kent vibe. His head was tilted, eyebrows raised, making it obvious he’d overheard her last comment and found it amusing, rather than alarming, and instead of looking at her like he thought she was in need of meds, the man was looking at her like he wanted to introduce himself. Paige could only shake her head at that, knowing Jules was able to get away with saying she’d do something to make a man sterile because she was a total smoke show.
Paige leaned forward and said, out of the corner of her mouth, “There’s a guy off to your left checking you out.”
“I know.” Jules made a face like she’d taken a bite out of a sour pickle. “And he’s totally on the douchebag spectrum. The way, far end, to be exact.”
Paige blinked at that assessment, which seemed really inaccurate. “You think so?”
“Yes,” Jules insisted in a low voice, only to add a second later, “Oh, Jesus, here he comes.”
Paige cut her eyes to Clark Kent, frowning for a moment when she found him still seated and now seemingly engrossed in his book. Her confusion was short-lived, though, when she saw another man coming around Clark’s table, heading directly toward Jules.
He was blonde, his hair spiked in the front, and did, indeed, look like he was on the spectrum. His green button-down shirt was a little too tight and his navy pants were slim-fitting and hemmed to just above his ankles, showing off flashy, green-patterned dress socks. Paige knew it was one of the latest fashion trends for men, but she thought it looked stupid.
“Hi, I’m Brent,” the man said, coming to a stop next to Jules and gazing down at her with a wide, almost leering smile.
She gave him a blinding smile in return. “Hi.”
“I normally don’t approach women in restaurants, but I haven’t been able to take my eyes off you, so I was compelled to take a chance.” He pulled a business card out of his wallet and laid it on the table. “I’d really like to have a drink with you sometime, and if you’d like to have a drink with me, then please text me. But if you don’t, and I never hear from you, I’ll understand.” He put a hand over his heart. “I’ll be devastated, but I’ll understand. So, no pressure.”
With one last smoldering look at Jules, Brent left.
“Did you see his attempt at smolder?” Jules asked, her smile turning into a grimace. “Ridiculous.”
“I saw.”
“And he treated you like you were invisible.”
“I know. But believe me, I’m in no way disappointed by that.”
Jules took Brent’s business card and ripped it into several pieces, before picking up her chopsticks again. “Now I can get back to enjoying my dinner.”
Paige saw Clark Kent chuckling to himself, and assumed it was because he’d seen Jules destroy Brent’s business card, and not because the book he was reading was funny. “So, um, Brent wasn’t the guy I said was checking you out,” she told Jules.
“He wasn’t? You mean there’s another one?”
“Yes. This guy’s wearing a navy suit and has dark-rimmed glasses. And he’s reading a book.”
“Sounds like a real catch. Do you mind if I run right over to him?”
“Be nice.”
“I am being nice. And anyway, who reads a book in a restaurant?”
“A lot of people do that, actually.”
“I don’t.”
“Okay, a lot of people that aren’t you, read books in restaurants.”
“What book is he reading?”
“Killing Kennedy.”
Jules considered that for a moment before asking, “How hard is he checking me out? A flattering amount, or douchebag amount?”
Paige dipped a bite of sushi in her soy sauce. “I’d say a flattering amount.”
