The Rules of Dating(68)

I chuckled and lifted my chin. “What’s up, Deek?”

The guy lying on his belly across Billie’s hydraulic chair looked up at her. “Can we take a piss break?”

“Yeah, sure. Just give me a second to cover your cheek with some plastic so the area stays sterile.”

When she was done, she told the guy not to pull up his underwear in the back. So I watched some man’s hairy ass walk to the bathroom with three quarters of a rose tattooed on it. Well, the left cheek was hairy, anyway. The right had been shaved.

Billie snapped off her gloves and sauntered over. “Are those for me?”

I leaned down and brushed my lips with hers. “There’re only two women in my life, and the other one prefers I bring unicorn-shaped bath bombs that shit glitter when they get wet.”

Billie grinned. “Shit glitter? I didn’t know that was a choice. I think you might be returning these beautiful flowers.”

I wrapped one arm around her back and pulled her close. “Will you have dinner with me?”

“That depends. What are you feeding me?”

“That’s a very loaded question...” I smiled and lifted the bag in my other hand. “But I’ll be good. How does fresh ravioli and semolina bread sound?”

“Mmmm…that sounds yummy.”

I brushed a lock of hair from her face. “My parents are keeping Saylor for the night. I was hoping maybe you could stay over.”

“I think that could be arranged...” Her client walked back from the bathroom, so she lowered her voice. “You want to step outside for a minute to talk about how things went at the lawyer’s office?”

I shook my head. “Let’s put off talking about that until morning. Maybe we spend the night pretending it never happened since it’s so rare that I get a whole night alone. I don’t want to waste a minute of it doing anything but focusing on you.”

Billie smiled. “That sounds amazing.”

“Great. What time are you done here?”

“Tex is my last customer. I should be done in about forty-five minutes.”

I looked over her shoulder. Tex was positioning himself ass up on her chair once again. “By the way, why does he get a rose tattooed on his ass, yet you wouldn’t put one on my chest when I asked you?”

“Because I don’t have to look at his ass all the time.”

“I asked you to ink a rose on me the first time we met. You didn’t know you were going to be looking at my bare chest all the time back then, either.”

Billie tilted her head with a devilish grin. “Are you sure about that?”

“Good answer.” I grinned. “You go finish up and enjoy that ass. But get yours upstairs as soon as you’re done.”

She pushed to her toes and gave me a quick peck on the lips. “Yes, sir.”

***

I pulled out all the stops to set tonight’s mood. By the time Billie knocked, I had two burners going, bread warming in the oven, soft music playing, and the table set with lit candles.

When I opened the door, she held out the flowers I’d given her down at the shop. “I brought you these.”

I smirked. “How thoughtful of you.”

Billie chuckled. “I didn’t want to leave them downstairs since I’m off tomorrow. Do you have a vase? I realized on the way up here that you might not. It’s usually men who are giving flowers, not getting.”

“I think I do. My mom sends me flowers for Father’s Day.”

“Awww... That’s so sweet.”

I took the bouquet from Billie’s hands, set it on the kitchen counter, and wrapped her in my arms. “Thank you for giving me this.”

“The flowers? I’ll let you in on a little secret… I sort of got them for free.” She smiled.

“I meant the night off from everything going on. The way I was feeling this afternoon, I didn’t think I’d be able to change my mood. But the idea of spending a night alone with you made it easier than I thought.”

Billie’s face softened. “I’m glad I can help.”

I rubbed my nose with hers. “You do. A lot.”

I poured us each a glass of wine, and Billie sat on the counter next to the stove while I finished cooking. “I brought us a game in case your mood needed some cheering up.”

“Oh yeah? What kind of game?”

She pointed to her purse on the chair. “Grab my bag, and I’ll show you.”

Billie dug out an oversized deck of cards from her purse and held them up, showing me the name on the front of the package.

I arched a brow. “Sex Trivia?”

“I bought them at that little bodega down the block that sells bongs and dirty magazines. They’re behind the counter at eye level, and I’ve been curious about them for a while.”

I grinned. “You shop in that place? I’ve only ever seen the stuff they sell from the outside.”

She gave me a look. “Don’t be so judgy. They have the best coffee, and it’s only a buck.”

I took the cards from her hand. “I’ll have to check it out. We have a little time before dinner is ready. What do you say we wager on this trivia game?”

“You haven’t even seen the first question yet, and you want to bet you’re going to win?”