What the fuck? Has Christian made his presence known already? Could he be in New York?
“What kind of monsters?” I inquire before digging into a chicken wing.
Her tongue darts out, wetting her plump lips, and my eyes greedily follow the motion. “I was speaking metaphorically,” she says, and I know it’s a lie because she won’t look me in the eye.
“I admire you,” I say, and her eyes pop wide. “What?” I ask.
“You can’t stand me,” she replies, cutting into her salad. “I still don’t get why you asked me out.”
Perhaps, she’s more astute than I’ve given her credit for. I stare into her beautiful, big blue eyes. “We’ve both changed, and we’re not dumb teenagers anymore. It’s summer in New York. You’re beautiful. I’m hot.” I shoot her a cocky smile. “And I want to get to know this new Vanessa. She has me intrigued, and that doesn’t happen a lot.” That’s only half a lie. I disarm her with another dazzling smile, and she stares at me in a bit of a daze.
“This new you scares me.”
“What’s not to love?” I gesture at myself. “And I haven’t completely changed.” I waggle my brows.
She rolls her eyes. “The hot comment hadn’t gone unnoticed, thank you.” She grins, popping another forkful of salad into her tempting mouth.
“So, why are you scared?”
“I’m scared of feeling, and you, Jackson Lauder, have the potential to make me feel all kinds of feels.”
_______________
“You want to get out of here?” I ask after we have finished eating. I wouldn’t mind heading to the basement club, but it will be loud as fuck down there and full of assholes ogling my date.
Vanessa has garnered her fair share of admirers tonight, but she seems oblivious. She’s not at all what I was expecting, and I’m surprised at how easy our conversation flows. She’s not the out-of-control airhead exuding clinger-slash-stalker vibes anymore. That will make this easier to endure. Hell, who am I kidding? My cock’s been hard as a brick all night.
There appears to be little about fake seducing Vanessa I won’t like.
“I don’t mind.” She’s way more easygoing than I remember.
“How about a drive to Coney Island? We could go on some rides or take a walk?”
“A walk sounds good.” She beams at me, and her entire face lights up. Her eyes are glowing, and her face is full of life, and I am momentarily spellbound, staring at her like I’ve never seen a pretty girl before.
“I haven’t been to Coney Island in years,” she adds. “I hear they cleaned it all up.”
“I haven’t been back there since Dani died,” I admit, breaking out from under her spell and clicking my fingers at the sleazy waiter, gesturing for the check.
“I still can’t believe she’s gone,” Vanessa says in a soft tone. “She was always super sweet to me. Especially when some of her friends were being mean. She always stood up for me.”
“I didn’t know that,” I admit, my mouth turning dry. We all hung out as kids, but Dani wasn’t close to Vanessa, or at least, not that I noticed.
The waiter hands me the check on a circular silver plate, and I hand him my platinum card without even looking at it. He scurries off to swipe it.
“I was shocked when I found out she’d taken her own life,” Vanessa continues, pinning me with compassionate eyes. “Dani always seemed happy and so together. I guess you never know what’s going on inside someone’s head.”
“Or what’s been done to someone to push them to that point,” I blurt.
Her brow puckers in confusion.
The waiter returns, handing me the printout and a pen. I’m tempted to leave no tip because the guy’s been drooling over my date all night, but even I’m not that miserable. I smirk as I fill it in and add my signature. I hand it back to him and stand, extending my hand for Vanessa. Her tiny, warm hand lands in mine, and her touch sends shards of electricity shooting up my arm, surprising me.
“Is this a joke?” the waiter hisses, glaring at me.
I tuck Vanessa into my side and lean into the guy, staring pointedly at him. “I’d have left more than a dollar tip if you hadn’t been eye-fucking my date all night,” I retort.
“Fuck you, asshole.” He looks like he wants to punch me.
I cluck my tongue. “I suggest you look at the name on that receipt and shut your fucking mouth before I have you fired.” His face pales when he checks out my surname, and I almost feel sorry for him.
Almost.
“I’m so sorry, Mr. Lauder. Sir. I apologize for my disrespect. It won’t happen again.”
What a tool. “I suggest you avoid ogling the clientele if you want to hold on to your job.” I offer some parting advice before escorting Vanessa to the underground parking garage.
_______________
“I adore the beach,” Vanessa says, leaning over the railing on the boardwalk, examining the sandy stretch of shoreline with a wistful look on her face. She tips her face up a little, inhaling deeply. “I could never live anywhere too far from the ocean.”
“I agree.” I come up behind her, caging her in with my arms, maintaining a small gap between our bodies. We stare at the ocean in amicable silence. All around us, people are enjoying everything Coney Island has to offer. Although it’s almost eleven, the place is still thrumming with activity.
“How are you feeling being back here?” she asks, angling her body a little and turning her head up to face me.
My eyes automatically drop to her lips, and an urge to kiss her arises out of nowhere.
“I’m doing okay,” I truthfully admit. “It’s a beautiful, balmy night. The scent of the ocean is calling to me. And I’ve a gorgeous girl on my arm. What’s not to like?”
She squeezes my arm. “Thank you for taking me.”
“My pleasure.” Wispy strands of her hair blow across her face, and I tuck them behind her ears, pretending I don’t feel the crackle of electricity zipping in the space between us or the tingle in my fingertips where my touch grazes her silky-smooth skin. “Want to walk in the ocean?” I blurt, stepping back and breaking the spell before I do something crazy like kiss her for real.
“Sure.” A brief flash of disappointment races across her face, and the smug inner predator lingering under my skin silently fist pumps the air.
I lace my fingers in hers, and we hold hands until we step off the boardwalk and down onto the shore. Vanessa removes her bejeweled, white flat-heeled sandals while I toe off my Nikes. We walk to the water, and Vanessa fists her dress in one hand, lifting it until it reaches her knees.
The water is cool, with a hint of warmth, as it swirls around my toes.
“It’s warmer than I expected,” she says, smiling at me as we walk along the water’s edge.
“If there weren’t so many people around, I’d suggest skinny-dipping.” I wink suggestively.
“Of course, you would.” She giggles. “Remember that time we went skinny-dipping and Melania got stung by a jellyfish on her boob?”
I crack up laughing. “Fuck, yeah. She was screaming and shrieking so bad I thought she’d been attacked by a shark. Man, that was nasty. She had blisters all over her tits for days after.” I remember because I’d hooked up with her a few nights later, and the sight of the raised, red skin on her chest had almost cost me my hard-on.