The first couple of shots were of Dex in front of his window overlooking the park. I marveled at his beauty: his lustrous black hair, his tall stature, his impeccable clothes, his big, masculine hands. In one of the pictures, he reminded me of a more handsome version of James Bond as played by Pierce Brosnan, but with more facial hair.
There were two more shots featuring him in front of his fireplace. The next couple of photos were from the ones he’d shot of him and Bandit on the couch.
My heart clenched. The last one was framed and had a note on it. Mr. Truitt wanted you to have this. It’s not for the article.
It was the photo of Dex, me, and Bandit, the one where the dog had a paw on each of us. It was making me emotional. He’d clearly sent this over before our conversation this morning. Guilt set in.
Damn you, Dex.
The reality was that I didn’t want to go on this date with Eamon. I was forcing myself to do it to prove that I still had the capability to connect with someone else in the event that my heart was to be destroyed by Mister Moneybags. It was a self-protective mechanism. Deep down, I knew that…but Dex didn’t.
I was sure Eamon could tell I was preoccupied. I kept checking my phone to see if Dex had texted. He hadn’t said a word since my date revelation this morning, and it made me wonder if I’d royally screwed things up.
I mentally scolded myself for obsessing over Dex while on a date with another man.
Trying to make conversation to move my mind into a different place, I said, “What’s new on your end at the magazine? What’s the next project?”
“I’m setting up an interview with Harry Angelini of Markel Corporation next week. But honestly, your exclusive with Truitt is all anyone seems to be talking about.”
Great. So much for getting my mind off him.
“Yes. It went really well.”
“I haven’t had a chance to read the first draft, but people keep saying how thorough it is, as if you’d spent months with him.”
“It was…an ongoing format.” I cleared my throat. “I found that to be better than rushing it.”
“I think you might have something there.”
The waiter came by with a small plate. “Some dessert for you.”
“We didn’t order dessert.”
“Yes. Well, actually, it was courtesy of someone who called in and wanted you to have it.”
When I looked down at the plate, I nearly gasped. Sitting atop a drizzle of caramel were two gigantic chocolate balls.
“What is this?”
“It’s tartufo. Ice cream balls.”
Balls.
My face felt flush. Dexter. It had to be.
“Okay. Thank you.”
“What was that all about?” Eamon asked.
“I’m not sure,” I lied. “Will you excuse me? I have to use the bathroom. Please start on the dessert without me.”
Once in the stall, I texted him.
Bianca: Are the ice cream balls from you?
Three dots immediately appeared on the screen.
Dex: Yes. Enjoy them.
Bianca: You really shouldn’t have.
Dex: Well, I know you like balls. And I wanted to apologize for my strange behavior this morning. You have every right to see whomever you want.
Bianca: Thank you, but no need to apologize. Your reaction was understandable.
Dex: I’ve instructed Sam to wait outside of the restaurant in the event that you need a ride. If he’s not parked, he’ll be circling around the block. I’m not using him tonight anyway. If you decide not to take advantage of the ride, that’s fine. But he’s there if you need him.
Bianca: That’s very nice of you. Thank you. What are you doing tonight that you don’t need a car?
Dex: I’ve decided to stay in.
Bianca: Okay. Well, have a good evening.
Dex: You too.
His sudden change of attitude seemed weird. I almost wondered if he was practicing reverse psychology, although I would never really know for sure.
When I returned to the table, Eamon had devoured his ball and paid the bill.
“Was it good?” I asked.
He licked his lips. “It was great.”
A few minutes later, I looked down at the time and said, “This has been really fun. But I have to be up early in the morning, so I think I’m going to head home if that’s okay.”
“Can we share a cab?”
“Actually, I have to stop somewhere on the way back, so I’m going to just head out alone.”
“Okay, sure.”
He seemed very disappointed, but truly, it was better not to lead him on. I really shouldn’t have gone on the date in the first place if my heart wasn’t in it.
I told Eamon I needed to stop back in the bathroom on the way out, so that he would exit the restaurant first.
Once outside, sure enough, I noticed the Town Car parked across the street.
I waved. “Hello, Sam.”
“Good evening, Ms. George,” he said as he opened the door for me.
I nearly had a heart attack when I saw who was in the backseat.
At first, I thought it was Dex. But no. It was the Liza Minnelli statue. Sinking back into the leather seat, I began to laugh hysterically.
“Sorry about that, Miss. He made me do it,” I heard Sam say. “Where to?”
Where was I going?
There was only one place I wanted to go tonight.
“Mr. Truitt’s place, please.”
Bandit was barking like crazy. I twisted the shower handle to turn off the water so that I could hear what was making him go nuts. He wasn’t generally a barker. In between his ruffs, the faint sound of the doorbell buzzing echoed under the bathroom door.
Shit.
Stepping out, I grabbed a towel, wrapped it around my waist, and headed to the front door. When I looked through the peephole, no one was on the other side. But Bandit was still going crazy, so I opened the door and poked my head out into the hallway. My heart started pounding when I found Bianca standing in front of the elevator doors looking down.
“Bianca?”
She looked up. “Dex. You didn’t answer. I thought you were out.”
“I was in the shower.” The doors to the elevator she was standing in front of slid open, and she turned to face them, then glanced back at me, and then back at the waiting car. She was clearly pondering her departure. After a few heartbeats, she made her decision. “I should go. It was a mistake coming over here. I’m sorry.”
“Bianca! Wait!”
She froze with one foot inside the elevator car. I didn’t give a fuck that I was still dripping wet and only wearing a towel, I ran down the hall after her. “Don’t leave. Please.” I caught her elbow and waited as she again deliberated. When she finally nodded, I let out a deep breath. There was no way I was giving her any time to change her mind again, so I quickly steered her away from any available escape and into my apartment.
Although I’d managed to get her into my place and close the door behind her, she stayed just barely inside and looked down at her feet. “Well, this is a nice surprise,” I said.
“I shouldn’t be here.”
“I think you’re wrong. This is exactly where you should be. Where you shouldn’t have been tonight, was on that date.”
Bandit had been standing near my side and chose that moment to walk to Bianca. He sat down directly on her feet and pushed his head into her crotch. She smiled and scratched the top of his head. Good boy. Remind me to buy you a bone. From an elephant.