“He gets it. You’re available. He can have you if he wants you. We’ll be sure to pencil you in on the menu next to the fish and crab rolls,” she deadpanned.
I burst into laughter, and the hostess’ eyes went large and round.
She backed away with an awkward smile and turned around.
“Poor girl,” I said. “Her face was priceless.”
Shannon giggled behind her hand, and it was nice to see a genuine reaction from her.
“But for real, that doesn’t get annoying?” she asked.
“What?”
She looked at me like I was stupid. “Women throwing themselves at you like that.”
I chuckled, leaning back in the booth and taking in the area around me. “No. What man in his right mind would be annoyed by that?”
It was nice to be honest with her. It was different, but then again, so was she, so it made sense.
“I guess you have me there.”
She picked up her menu, and her eyes traveled over the items.
“So what’s good here?” I asked, picking up my own menu.
Her eyes peeked over the top of the tri-folded laminated listing of foods, and I could see the smile in them. “You mean other than little miss blond hostess?”
I snickered. “Yes. Other than little miss blond hostess.”
“Try the stuffed chicken parmesan. It’s delicious.”
Our waiter came soon after to put in our drink and appetizer order, and once we were alone again, I got straight to the point.
“So tell me something about yourself,” I said.
Strangely, I wanted to know more about her.
She was mysterious and shuttered, and I knew getting to know her a bit would be like trying to jump a fifty-foot wall, but I had to at least break the ice.
“What do you want to know?”
Leaning forward, I tapped my chin and grinned as I thought of something to ask. Going straight for the personal stuff would scare her off, so I went for something easy.
“Have you always lived in Charleston?”
“No. I was born at the hospital here, but I was raised in Somersby. I moved here a few years ago for work.”
I nodded.
Made sense.
Somersby was a much smaller town, and there wasn’t anything there. Jonathan and Curtis had grown up there, as well, and their father still owned the lake house where they used to live. On occasion, we would go out there for the weekend and throw a party, but we had since grown away from the lake and now lived along the coastal waters.
“What about you?’ she asked.
“Born and raised. Grew up in Mount Pleasant.”
“So you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth then?”
I chuckled. “Something like that.”
My family had money. I had money. I wasn’t going to deny it. I didn’t need to.
“Okay, my turn. What do you do for fun?”
She started to tell me, but the waiter returned with our drinks and appetizers. He took our order and left us with a plate of stuffed mushrooms, which were surprisingly good.
She ate.
Not like most girls I was around who nibbled at their salads and pretended to be full.
No.
Shannon devoured her stuffed mushrooms without shame, and I found myself comfortable enough to enjoy my food, as well.
“So you never answered.”
“Okay. What was the question again?”
“What do you do for fun?”
She paused with her fork at her mouth. A chunk of cheesy mushroom dangling from the tip.
“Nothing exciting really. Sometimes I go out with friends. We used to do game nights on Wednesdays before Lilly met Devin but not so much now. Mostly, I work.” She shook her head and chuckled. “I know. I’m a wild woman. I’m super interesting.”
Her sarcasm was thick.
“You are.”
She looked at me as if I were full of shit, but I meant it.
Sure, she didn’t live a wild party life, but there was so much more to her than what she showed me. Most women I knew were as deep as a puddle, but I believed Shannon had an ocean’s worth of depth behind her eyes.
“I can only imagine the things you do for fun,” she said, taking her bite and covering her mouth to chew.
I laughed.
“Yeah. I tend to stay as busy as possible.”
“Do you work?” she asked.
I shook my head. “Kind of. My family and I own a lot of property and businesses around here. I mostly just have to show my face, and the work does itself.”
Her eyes were large as she listened to me.
“I couldn’t imagine not having to work. I would go nuts without something to do.”
“I find things to do. I travel a ton.”
And I did.
I had been all over the world. It was a beautiful thing.
“Lucky,” she said, grinning over her glass of sweet tea.
“Maybe I’ll take you one day. If you could go anywhere, where would you go?”
She set her glass down and wiped her mouth with her napkin.
“That’s a hard one. I guess if I could go anywhere, it would be Hawaii. I heard a tribe there worships plus-size women. I would love to be worshipped.” She laughed.
My eyes dipped to her chest, taking in her luscious form. She had large breasts and a smaller waist. And I knew under the table, she was hiding thick thighs and a wide, round ass that could take a pounding. She had no idea how hot she was.
“No need to go that far. I’ll worship you here in Charleston. No problem.”
Her throat bobbed up and down as she swallowed her food. She paused, her eyes moving over my face.
“Do you have a file of sexual comebacks tucked away in that brain of yours? You can literally turn anything I say into something sexual.” She chuckled.
She hadn’t even blinked at my flirting.
“It’s a gift.” I chuckled, leaning back in my seat.
“I’ll say. I bet most women love it.”
“Most, but not you. You’re not falling for any of it, are you?”
She grinned. “Not even a little bit. I’m not dumb. I know you probably say everything you’re saying to me to every woman you come across. I think I’ll know when you say something genuine.”
I examined her face.
Her smile.
Her knowing eyes.
I liked her.
And what was worse … I was having fun.
“What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?” I asked, needing to know if she had a wild side she could let loose.
She snorted. “You mean besides what I’m doing with you right here and now? Nothing. I always wanted to do something extreme. Like maybe a piercing or a tattoo, but I’m not that crazy. I wish I could be more like that, but it’s as if I was born an old lady or something. Sorry to tell you … I’m boring.”
“You should let loose more. You’re only young once.”
She shrugged. “Yeah. Maybe one day I’ll get a tattoo and dye my hair purple.”
“Now that would be a shame.”
“But you just said I should be crazy.”
“Yeah, you should, but dying your hair would be a crime. People pay good money for beautiful red locks like that.” I pointed at her head. “I love your hair.”
And I did.
It was long and auburn, and sometimes when the light hit it the right way, it looked fire red. It was gorgeous, and I couldn’t wait to wrap it around my hand and tug on it.
Her cheeks turned pink, and she looked away.
“Thank you.”
“Maybe we’ll go to the piercing place on our next outing.”