Crystal Green - Mystery Date

“How did he make you feel?”

She thought about it for a moment, then said, “As if I might be able to suggest something to him that I would never say in person, if that makes any sense. I never did that, though. After he shut down his business, I never talked to him again.”

As she put the pan in the oven, he thought he saw a yearning on her face that was so acute he wanted to make it go away.

It was at that moment he knew there were a lot of stories Leigh could tell him, a lot of mysteries about her that he’d like to solve.

Had he fallen in love—or lust—at first sight with her back in college at that party? Or maybe he was a fool who could indulge that lost sentimental part of him only here, in the near darkness.

Either way, he wanted more.

“When do you need to leave town?” he asked without thinking.

She’d been wiping off the counter, and she stopped. “I’m on hiatus from my show....”

As she let the words hang, he got the feeling that she just might be open to coming back for a second date if the rest of the night went well...if he didn’t put any pressure on her and they merely had dinner, with him still at a distance, still playing the game.

And if he gave her something to come back for.

* * *

THIS WAS DEFINITELY a date that would go down in the Singlehood Hall of Fame.

After Leigh had finished preparing the rest of the dinner, she had expected Callum to come-out-come-out-wherever-he-was.

But...no.

He had asked her to set aside his meal in the oven for later and to fix a plate for herself so she could take it to the dining room, where a long mahogany table was already set.

Low light from a chandelier toasted the room as she sat down with her plate and her glass of wine. She placed the phone on another stand that was waiting at a setting next to hers.

What was Callum’s agenda? Yeah, she knew he must have planned some sort of scenario, but surely it couldn’t last all night. Or maybe he was gauging how far he could take this. She’d seen that movie 9½ Weeks, and she knew that there were men out there who didn’t do paint-by-number relationships or dates.

Was he one of them?

Another delicious shiver danced over her skin. What did it say about her that she wanted to see how far he would push this thing? And why did she want to start pushing it herself?

She leaned back in her chair, holding the wine in front of her as the aroma of all her honeyed dishes tickled her senses. She glanced around the room, wondering where he was, feeling the voyeuristic thrill of this game once again. It wasn’t all that different from being on TV, knowing people would be watching you, never being able to see their expressions.

Let’s see.... There was a darkened second story mezzanine rimming the room. Was he up there? Somewhere?

“Is there a peephole or something that you’re using?” she asked.

“No.” His laugh filled the phone speaker. “You make me sound like a bad man in a horror movie, Leigh.”

“Bad in what way?”

Their conversations so far hadn’t crossed any boundaries, but she knew that she’d just put out an invitation to do some testing.

“I’m not sure I should answer that.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m not sure how much bad you can take. You were always a nice girl, weren’t you?”

“Isn’t that why you bid on my basket?”

He chuckled again, and she decided that it was really time to push back.

Putting down her wine, she leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table as she idly picked up a piece of bread. She’d set a bowl of honey nearby, and she dipped into it, letting the thick liquid drip.

“What kind of girl,” she said, her pulse tripping, “offers up the kind of basket I did to a total stranger?”

“Ah, but that was the genius of your basket. It was innocent, but...”

He trailed off when she took the bread and held it a few inches above her mouth, drizzling honey into it. Some of the liquid meandered over her lips, and she licked at it, then took a tiny nibble of bread.

Her chin was sticky with the stuff, too, but she let it stay there for now.

“You were saying?” she asked, barely recognizing her husky tone.

But she was delighting in the freedom of this night, being the only person in this room, with him far enough away that she wouldn’t have to see his face and know whether or not she was acting like a complete and utter fool.

Somehow she got the feeling that she didn’t look like an idiot at all—that he was enjoying the show.

She put down her bread, casually wiping off the stray honey from her chin, then sucking it from her finger. He’d stayed silent this entire time.

“You were talking about how innocent my basket was?” she asked.

His voice sounded gritty now. “It appeared that way at first.”

“And now?”

“Now,” he said, “I’m not sure what you’re about.”

She was actually good at seduction. Who knew?

She took it up another notch. “Turnabout is fair play, because I have no idea what you’re about, either.”

After rubbing her finger over her bottom lip, she used her tongue to coyly lick off more honey from that finger. He muttered something on the other end of the phone, and it sounded like an amused curse.

Good. Let him be just as thwarted as she’d been this whole time.

“You know,” she said, forgoing the rest of her meal and dipping her finger into the honey bowl this time, swirling the thick mass around, “I have to wonder why you won’t just come out here and sit with me. Is it because I do know who you are and you’re afraid I’m going to get turned off?”

“Why would you say that?”

“If you were someone I didn’t like in the fraternity, then it would make sense that you’d rather keep your distance and just play around with me from afar. It would be a sort of revenge for you.”

A pause, then, “You didn’t know me. No one really did.” His words sounded ominous until he followed them up with, “Besides, I don’t think you disliked anyone.”

She scooped out more honey, bringing it over to her plate, where she laved the bread with it just as if it were...well, not bread at all but a part of him.

As she smoothed the honey back and forth with sensual strokes, she smiled. “Is there something about you that’s unlikable?”

“I’m only a man who’s very happy with the way this date is going so far. That’s all.”

“And how is this date going?”

He didn’t say anything for a moment, as if he was content with merely watching her play with the honey. As if he was imagining her finger on him, sliding back and forth, making him heat up.

Just the thought of getting a rise out of Callum sent prickles of desire through her, a wash of passion, coating her with thick dampness.

“This date is going perfectly,” he finally said.

“You like that I’m up for entertaining you?” Bold, she thought. And it feels awesome.

“I wouldn’t exactly reduce you to just being the entertainment.”

She took a different tack. “Why did you wonder when I’m going to be heading home, Callum?”

As she waited for a response, she pictured him as a lonely man. Or was he the opposite—someone who merely had a rich fantasy life that he didn’t want anyone to know about?

He spoke. “Beth might have mentioned to you that I’m vacationing here for the time being.”

“She did.” A tingle got her right in the belly. Did he have more plans for her? She laughed softly, helping him along. “Do you need a cook or something?”

“Not exactly, although you’re killing me with the smell of this meal.”

Good God—he was somewhere close. “Then come down here and eat it.”