Goddess of the Rose (Goddess Summoning #4)(13)

Blair fluttered up to the table. "I'll just leave the check here." He put it next to Arnold's arm. "But there's no rush for you two, take . . ." Blair's words trailed off as he recognized the look of narrow-eyed annoyance Mikki had trained on her date. He cleared his throat. "What I meant to say is that I'll be happy to take this for you whenever you're ready." With a worried glance at Mikki, he retreated to watch from the waiter's station.

Blair's abrupt departure made Mikki realize that she needed to fix the expression on her face, but when she glanced at Arnold she saw she needn't have worried. He wasn't looking at her. He was frowning over the bill.

"Is there a problem?" she asked.

He looked up at her and then slid the bill over so she could see it. "No. No problem at all. I was just figuring up my part of the bill."

"Excuse me?"

"Well, you were the one who ordered the appetizer. You had one more glass of wine than I did, and that Irish coffee certainly wasn't cheap."

Disbelieving, Mikki blinked and tried to find her voice.

He reached into his wallet and got out a twenty and two tens. "That should take care of my part, plus a tip." Then he looked expectantly at her. "Are you paying with cash or a credit card?"

Mikki burst into laughter. "You want me to pay for my half of dinner?"

"Of course," he said with a perfectly straight face. "Times have changed. Today's women want to be treated equally and with respect. I'm just showing you the respect you want."

"Perfect," Mikki said, still laughing. She could feel the lovely redheaded fit brewing just under her breastbone. This was going to be truly delicious.

"This is just perfect. Okay, here's the deal Dr. Asher - that is how one formally addresses you, isn't it?"

He nodded, looking vaguely confused.

"Good. I want to be sure I get this right. Here's the deal, Dr. Asher. It's not showing me respect to use rhetoric about what today's women want as an excuse to be cheap. It's actually showing me the opposite. I don't care what year it is. If this is a date - and I was under the impression that it was - then it should be a point of pride and good manners for a gentleman to pay for a lady's dinner. That's being respectful. But you wouldn't understand that because you clearly do not respect women. Your attitude about what you believe women read is as patronizing as your obvious disdain for female authors." Mikki reached into her purse, pulled out three twenty-dollar bills and plopped them on top of the check. "And here's a newsflash for you - those so-called trashy romance novels outsell all other genres of writing. Many of the authors are insightful and well educated. They create worlds filled with strong, passionate women and honorable, heroic men. You should try reading some of them. Those female romance authors you disdain could definitely teach you a thing or two about being a man." She stood up and put her purse over her shoulder. "Good night, Dr. Asher." He started to stand, clearly struggling to say something. "No, please. Don't get up. I want to remember you just like this - confused and speechless. It's a good look for you; it certainly beats patronizing and chauvinistic."

Grinning wickedly, she turned and sauntered lazily out of the dimly lit room.

She was still grinning as she strolled down the sidewalk. God, she was glad she'd told him off and walked out! She had never been a wimpy, doormat kind of a woman; she had an extraordinarily low bullshit meter. God, didn't it just figure! He had seemed interesting and sexy at first. But like most men, he had turned out to be a disappointment.

Whispering through her subconscious was the thought that no man had been able to get close to her because she had never been able to allow herself to share the secret that pulsed through her blood . . . but the thought was fleeting, and she quickly stifled the stark honesty of it with a tipsy laugh and a little impromptu twirl in the halo of light under a streetlamp.

She'd never actually walked out on a date before.

It was exhilarating!

Her steps slowed. Lately, she'd been thinking more and more that maybe she wasn't meant to have a permanent relationship. Maybe tonight had been the final sign she needed. Something like a modern omen. She was different, and it was becoming more and more clear to her that there was no "right" man for her. He didn't exist. Oddly enough, the thought didn't make her feel sad or lonely. Instead, it made her feel wise, like she had come to a realization that her friends weren't mature enough yet to understand. It gave her a sense of release that was almost overwhelming.

Mikki walked past McGill's, a popular local pub, and considered ducking in for a quick drink. But the door opened and a current of noise rolled out, changing her mind. She didn't feel like dealing with shouting above a din of music just to order a drink. Plus, she'd probably had enough - not that that was a bad thing. She wasn't driving - she was flying! Mikki laughed and walked on, breathing in the cool October air.

As she left the business district and got closer to Woodward Park and her apartment, the buildings changed from posh shops and restaurants to the stately old oil mansions that surrounded the park. Mikki loved this part of Tulsa. It made her wish she had lived during the 1920s. She would have been a flapper. She would have cut her hair short, worn loose beaded dresses that shimmied when she moved, had too much to drink and danced all night. Between parties she would have crusaded for equal rights for women.