Page 63 of Resisting Mr Black
“You want me to meet your mum?” I ask, to be certain I’ve heard him correctly. Of course, I’d like to meet her but the tiny voice in my head is back and is asking me whether it’s too soon. We’ve known one another for a week, which doesn’t sound very long, but when I think about how I feel about him, it doesn’t seem too soon at all.
“Of course.”
“I’d like to meet her.” I smile and take a long slug of wine.
He glances around the restaurant. “So, how’s this going so far for a first date?”
Iplace my wine glass down. “We’ve sort of done things backwards, haven’t we? You usually go on a date then have sex.”
He shifts his arm slightly behind my head and strokes his fingers across my bare shoulder. “It was the right way for us. So, how’s it going?”
“What?”
“The date?”
“It’s wonderful. Why are you so keen for the feedback?”
“This is uncharted territory.”
I frown as I realise what he means then laugh in disbelief. “Don’t tell me you’ve never been on a date before?”
He lifts a shoulder into a shrug. “This is my first.”
I blink in surprise unable to fathom the fact that he’s never brought a woman out on a date before. “But you’re thirty.” I take another sip of wine, unsure whether I want to hear the answer to the next question. “How can that be?”
We’re interrupted by a couple of waiters arriving with trays and placing a variety of dishes on the table until it’s so full I can barely see the tablecloth underneath.
My eyes widen at the sight of all the food. “We’re never going to eat all this,” I squeak in disbelief.
Art gives a smile of thanks to the waiters as they leave us and rearranges the plates so there’s a little more room. “There’s a little bit of everything: scallops, artichoke, trout, pulled pork…”
My mouth waters at the delicious smells wafting from the array of dishes. “It all looks divine.”
He plays host, placing various foods onto a plate for me to sample and I sit back and let him, secretly enjoying being looked after.
I spear a piece of broccoli with a fork as he takes a mouthful of fish. “So, we were saying,” I carry on, steering the conversation back to where we were.
He shoots me a quizzical look and I’m not sure whether he’s genuinely forgotten or if he’s avoiding the question. “What were we saying?”
I still can’t quite believe it. “You were about to tell me how come you’ve never been on a date before.”
“Dating’s never really come up.”
I still don’t get it. “But… how? There have been women?”
He flicks me an uncertain look before carrying on. “Yes, there have.”
My stomach twists at the thought of him being with another woman. Strange, I know. This man has been in my life for a week, but I feel like I’ve known him a lifetime.
I tuck into a piece of salmon. “And I’m guessing there have been quite a few... women.”
“Yes, but it was just sex.” He puts down his fork.
It clearly wasn’t just sex for Tara. She’s still on the prowl three years later. I push the thought of her out of my mind. She’s not going to ruin my evening. “For you maybe, but what happened if they wanted to take things further?”
“Some did.” He wipes the corners of his mouth with a napkin and shifts his half-eaten fish out of the way, sliding a dish of cheese soufflé in front of him. He picks up a spoon and cuts into the fluffy centre. It looks delicious and suddenly my salmon seems boring. “But I wasn’t interested in taking things further with any of them.” He eats a mouthful of the soufflé and nods in approval. His tongue darts across his bottom lip as he takes another spoonful and offers it to me. “Try it. It tastes nearly as good as you.”
I put down my fork and my eyes slide to the spoon he’s offering to me. “Open.”