Page 82 of Blush

Haru brings my fork, and I gobble up the last of the sea urchin. I’ll probably never order it again, but hey, I went out of my comfort zone. I finish the rest of my sushi, all of which is delicious, but I still miss my unagi.

Damn Jackson anyway. From now on, I’ll order whatever I want, whether Jackson recites it to me or not.

The next time Haru comes by, I gesture to my martini glass. “Another, please?”

“Absolutely.” He grabs the empty glass.

“Another?” Jackson says.

“Yeah, a martini is oddly good with sushi.”

I’m not even lying. The vodka martini got a lot better after half of it went down, and it goes well with raw fish. Who would’ve thought? I don’t drink a lot, though, and it’s pure booze. This will be my last one. Especially if I do end up going to the club. I want to be fully alert there.

Jackson doesn’t order another sake.

I’m not sure why that strikes me as strange. Jackson usually has two drinks. Sometimes even three. I’ve never seen him drunk, come to think of it.

He doesn’t do anything that may make him lose control.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

Oh, yes. He’s definitely taking me back to the club.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Jackson

The club opens at nine. It’s eight thirty when we finish our sushi. Too early to go to the club yet.

“Well?” Mandy says.

“Well, what?”

“Are we going? To the club?”

“Are you sure you want this?”

God, let her say no. Please.Because if I take her to the club, I have to show her.

I have to show her why she doesn’t belong there.

And why I can never have her.

I don’t like this side of me. Not at all. I was a complete ass at dinner about the sea urchin gonads. I gave her shit that she didn’t deserve, and she was a great sport about it.

Why can’t I just walk away from this? Let her explore her sexuality in her own way? This doesn’t have to involve me, so why…

I can’t finish the thought.

“I’m sure, Jack,” she finally replies.

“It doesn’t open until nine.”

“That’s fine. I’ll just have another drink.” She gestures to Haru.

I grab her hand and bring it back to the table. “No more drinks, Mandy.”