by Cynthia Dane
“By the way, you look very lovely tonight.”
Jasmine dropped one of the magazines as she tried to put them back in their shelf. “Oh, thank you. This is one of the dresses I got at that boutique. Thank you again…”
“Please, don’t mention it. Although…” Ethan looked at her again, this time for longer. His eyes lingered on her, and Jasmine would have closed her coat over her cleavage if it weren’t for the fact that this man had seen her breasts countless times by now. “I don’t suppose you have another one of those dresses, do you?”
“Did you or did you tell me to get two of a dress to wear for tonight?”
“Indeed I did. I’ll take that as a yes then.”
“You should. Gave the woman at the boutique a nice heart attack when I asked for two. Hope you’re as rich as you say you are, because you’re going to get a nice bill this month.”
She didn’t know how to expect him to react, so she was slightly surprised when Ethan relaxed into a grin before contemplating something beyond the limousine window.
They arrived at their destination a few minutes later, although Ethan didn’t open Jasmine’s door for her. The driver did instead, with a valet taking care of Ethan’s door. Another prime restaurant, then. The maître d’ was on a first name basis with Mr. Cole here as well, although Jasmine did not expect to hear, “The others are already here, sir. I’ll take you to them.”
The others? Jasmine checked her coat at the front of the restaurant and looked to Ethan for answers. He didn’t give her any. Instead he hooked his arm around hers and escorted her to the back of the restaurant with the maître d’ in front.
They rounded a corner into a private room. “Ah, there they are!”
Jasmine stopped in her steps at the sound of Jackson Lyle’s voice.
He sat next to Monica at the four-person table, wearing a full black suit and a crimson necktie. At the presence of his business partner, Jackson opened his arms as if to hug him right there from his seat. “Thought you might have gotten lost on the way here.” Jasmine couldn’t tell if this man’s smile was genuine or not. Ethan’s self-satisfied smirks were at least genuine. Jackson reminded her of a man who wanted to project one image while harboring another.
The maître d’ showed them to their seats and took his leave.
“How are the two new lovebirds?” Jackson flipped open his menu, looking across the table at Jasmine. “Must be exciting, going out on Valentine’s Day with a man of such means.” That was directed at her.
Jasmine quietly opened her menu as well but couldn’t concentrate on the words before her. “Things are going well.” That’s all she said.
Jackson waited a few more minutes, but when Jasmine didn’t continue he turned to Ethan, who had his nose buried in the back of the menu. Looking for the booze, huh? If Jasmine had to sit across from Jackson Lyle tonight, she could agree to some alcohol. Something about this man creeps me out. She couldn’t put her finger on it but she was a woman who trusted her instincts. Those instincts had led her to the bed of Ethan Cole, and so far they had not let her down, even if a few things were lacking in the emotional department. When they told her to be wary of his business partner, she heeded them. “So, Ethan, did you catch the game last night?”
Ethan lowered his menu long enough to glance at his friend. “Which one?”
“Pick one. Not like I watched any of them myself.”
The only one who had yet to say anything, or even open the menu, was Monica, who sat on the other side of Jasmine and kept her head bowed. Jasmine tried saying hello, and all she got was a tiny smile before that face went back to expressing nothing but, well, nothing. Before Jasmine could ask her if she was all right, a waiter stopped by to take their orders.
Jackson was the first order, and this did not surprise Jasmine. She knew his type well: always the first to go, a need to be heard, and a mighty desire to be remembered. He expressed this now by ordering not only for himself but Monica as well. He didn’t even ask if that’s what she wanted to eat. It was as if he knew, or didn’t give her a choice.
A lull after the order was Ethan’s cue to speak. As Jasmine predicted, he ordered a round of wine for everybody. Red, of course, to celebrate this festive day of love. Ethan ordered his own food. Jasmine waited for him to order for her like he did last time, but he merely glanced at her, prompting her to say something.
“Oh!” Jasmine flipped her menu back open again. She hadn’t even bothered to really look at it since she assumed Ethan was going to throw his weight around. When the awkward silence became too much to bear, Ethan made a few suggestions, and Jasmine gladly went with the first choice. After a few relieved chuckles, the waiter took their menus and departed with the promise of the upcoming wine.
Ethan and Jackson dominated the ensuing conversation. Well, it was mostly Jackson, constantly goading his friend and mouthing off about nothing in particular. Ethan would nod, laugh, or respond with something off-the-cuff, but for the most part Jasmine could tell that he was detached from anything Jackson had to say. Every so often he would glance at Monica, who never once took her eyes off her plate. Something going on here? Jasmine tried not to get suspicious about every woman Ethan put his eyes on, but this was something different. Something… Jasmine couldn’t put her finger on it. The only reason she was obsessing over it was because she had nothing else to think about. Having a double date with the likes of Jackson Lyle wasn’t exactly something she had in mind when it came to a Valentine’s Day dinner with Ethan Cole.
Their food did not take long to arrive, probably because of how important these two men were. Jackson had ordered a steak, medium rare, but did not lift a knife or even a fork to cut it. Instead he leaned back, stretched his arms above his head, and waited for Monica to reach across the table and cut his meat for him. Jasmine could only stare in wonder before glancing at Ethan, who had ordered meat as well.
“I can cut my food just fine on my own,” he muttered. Jackson didn’t seem to hear, for he was too busy cooing at who he called his “pet.” Jasmine started stuffing food in her mouth before she said anything that would get her in trouble. Like how Jackson probably needed one of her heels up his ass. Or a present from my cat. Blackbeard loved going into the pantry and finding some presents for everybody. A dead mouse here, a decapitated rat there…
“Jasmine.” A purr in Jackson’s voice got her attention right away. She looked up from her noodles, dabbing a napkin at the side of her mouth. Good Lord, what does he want? Ethan glanced between the two of them as if he didn’t know what to expect. “Tell me, is this man treating you right?”
She smiled, courteously, which made Ethan snort beside her. “I have no real complaints.”
“That’s what they all say in the beginning. Everyone loves Ethan’s big money and bigger prick.” He said it so candidly, and even Ethan didn’t seem perturbed by it as he shrugged. Jasmine, on the other hand, almost dropped her fork and could only gape at the man sitting across from her.
“Like I said, I have no complaints right now.”
“Hmm.” Jackson kept his eerie eyes on her while he ate. He was enjoying himself way too much, and he only seemed to enjoy himself this way when he was looking at Jasmine. She glanced at Ethan, pleading for him to do something.
He came to her rescue by starting up a different conversation. Sighing in relief, Jasmine was able to finish up her wine and her dinner without further interruption. Yet she couldn’t help but notice that Monica had not said a single thing that night.
God must have been on Jasmine’s side part of that night, for after dinner Jackson announced that he and Monica were going somewhere else for the rest of their date. She stood up first, helping him out of his seat and then helping him put on his jacket. In turn he helped her put on a coat. Apparently they were both too good to check their items that night.
“Good night, kids. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do tonight.” He put his arm protectively around Mon
ica and led her out of the private room. The moment the door closed, Ethan leaned back into his chair.
“Would I get into trouble if I said that guy creeps me out?” Jasmine tossed her napkin onto the table with a huff. “And not in the way that you creep me out. Your kind of creep I can handle. That guy is just 100% skeeze.”
Halfway through her diatribe Ethan looked as if he were about to say something. But when she finished the second part of her sentence, he now looked aghast. “I’m creepy?”
Good job. Jasmine waved her hand as if she hadn’t meant to say that. “I don’t mean it like that. Mostly because I know you now. Some of the things you say and ask women to do would send them running for the hills. I wouldn’t blame them, either. But let’s be honest, you’re pretty harmless. That guy makes me feel like I need to take a shower.”
“Harmless, huh?”
“Sorry if I’m bruising your ego. But I had a point to make. Why were we having dinner with that guy anyway?”
“That guy is my friend and business partner.” Ethan held his gaze on Jasmine for a few more seconds, probably trying to intimidate her, but she merely glanced away and frowned at her dinner plate. “A double date wasn’t originally in my plans. Jackson came up with the concept a few hours ago. I didn’t want to say no, mostly because I knew that they would leave rather early, giving us some time alone.”
Now it was Jasmine’s turn to raise her eyebrows as if she had misheard him. “Time alone? Why, Mr. Cole, if you’re not careful, I might think that this is a real date.”
Ethan picked up his wineglass and took a liberal sip. “Who says it isn’t?”
“Please, you’re paying me to be here. I won’t delude myself for five seconds that you actually have any romantic intention for me. Not that I don’t appreciate you taking me out for some wining and dining, but I know that this doesn’t end with wedding bells.” Jasmine stabbed her noodles with her fork and shut her mouth. She didn’t care about eating gracefully right now. Ethan had seen her shovel down food before. He had a habit of walking into the break room during her lunch, when she would be teeth first into a sandwich, slimy mayonnaise and mustard all over her chin. He frowned at me more than once for that. Probably hoping that she rinsed out her mouth before his afternoon blowjob.
Ethan neither frowned this time nor chuckled at what she said. “Does this mean I don’t have to pretend to be in love with you tonight?”
“Pretend? You’re going all the way out and pretending for me?”
“It is Valentine’s Day.”
Jasmine almost couldn’t believe it. The almost was only because she had been around Ethan for over a month now, and knew how he thought. “So you are going to try to pull me into thinking that you were in love with me, even if just for tonight. That’s almost sweet. And did you think about what would happen Monday morning when I came to the office, convinced that my life has been changed forever? You drop the bomb on me that you really didn’t feel that way at all, and I’m just a silly girl for ever believing it.”
“Now hold on…”
“To what? The last of my sanity? Come on, Ethan. We both know that this is just about sex. I’m flattered that you asked me out tonight. Really, I am. Buying me things and taking me to fancy restaurants is nice of you. I also don’t really mind playing up the girlfriend in front of your friends if you want me to. But when we’re alone like this, you don’t have to pretend. I know where I stand in this relationship. Or kneel, if we’re being totally honest.”
Ethan leaned his elbow on the table and pondered Jasmine’s form for a while. She continued to eat, unfazed by this man who held so many cards, studying her as if she were a museum specimen. The only time he moved was when he refilled his wine glass. Without asking, he filled Jasmine’s glass halfway as well.
“Here’s the thing, Miss Bliss…”
“Jasmine, remember?”
Ethan faltered, almost spilling some of the wine on the tablecloth. “Jasmine.” He put the wine glass on the table and folded his hands beneath his chin. “I do like you. I wouldn’t have asked you out to a date first if I didn’t want to spend the time with you. Really, if it was only about sex, I would’ve taken you to my penthouse first. And last.”
“You know how to make a girl feel special.”
One hand now holding up his chin, Ethan slumped against the table and regarded his date with a simple smile. “You’re a funny woman. I’ve been with the humorous type before, but there’s something amusing about your attitude. Something freshly honest. I like it. If I didn’t, I’d pay you extra to walk around with a gag in your mouth.”
Jasmine answered him with her mouth full. “Scintillating.” A piece of lettuce fell from her teeth.
“It’s okay, Jasmine. I know where I stand in this relationship as well. The only reason why you put up with it is because of my money. I don’t blame you. I’d probably do the same thing if roles were reversed.”
Now there was a thought. Ethan Cole whoring himself out to Jasmine. No, there was another thought. Jasmine Bliss being a billionaire. That one I really like. “What a pair we make!”
“Indeed.” Ethan held up his wineglass. “Toast to it?”
Jasmine reached out for her glass as well, holding it up until it clinked against Ethan’s. “To money and fucking.”
They both took a sip of their wine, Ethan putting his glass down before Jasmine. “Does this mean you don’t want my present?”
Jasmine perked up. “You got me a present?”
“Of course. It’s Valentine’s Day. But if you don’t want it, I’ll take it back.”
“Now, now. That won’t be necessary. Let’s see what you got me.”
Rolling his eyes, Ethan reached into his front jacket pocket and extracted a small black box. Jasmine instantly recognized what it was. Jewelry. Her hand went straight to the ruby necklace adorning her chest.
Yet she was still surprised to open the box and find a pair of ruby and diamond earrings. The rubies were gorgeous, picking up the light as she moved the box. The tiny diamonds surrounded the gems, sparkling like beautiful waters. Ethan reached over and tucked back Jasmine’s hair and saw what lingered on her earlobe: a simple gold stud. “Good,” he said. “For a moment I was worried you didn’t have pierced ears. There was once… never mind.”
Jasmine didn’t ask what he wanted to say. She knew. One of his exes. She would’ve teased him about it, but for some reason Ethan withdrew. “Thank you,” she said instead. “They’re lovely.”
The only sound for another minute was Jasmine scraping up the last of her food on her plate. She wasn’t sure what she had eaten, but she knew it was delicious. Tangy and sweet on the tongue, with the slick finish in the sauce rolling around her mouth moments after she finished chewing. When she was about to ask Ethan what her dinner was, he said, “While I know that this is about sex, I don’t think it would be a bad idea if we got to know each other a bit better. I don’t just mean our favorite colors and where we went to college. I mean something deeper.”
Jasmine put down her utensils, wiped her fingers on her napkin, and looked at him even though her vision was distracted by the twinkling drops of earrings still shining on the table in front of her. “In what way?”
“Who knows? Whatever strikes our fancy to ask.”
“Oh, we’re asking questions? Do I get to go first?”
A twinge of another smile tugged at the corner of Ethan’s mouth. “Sure. Why don’t you have the honors?”
Jasmine sat up straight as her brain began to fester with questions. What should she ask? What kind of mischief could she get into with the things she asked Ethan Cole? Oh, there were so many things she wanted to know. How did he really get into business? How many women had he slept with? Did he really like her? There were so many possibilities, and so little time to choose. Eventually, she settled with, “Tell me a secret. Something that Page 6 doesn’t know about. Don’t worry, I remember that NDA I signed.” She
gave him an exaggerated wink just in case she hadn’t driven the point home yet.
She expected him to think about it for a while. Plenty of time for her to down more wine. God only knows what he expects from me tonight. But Jasmine barely had her glass to her lips when she heard Ethan’s voice drift into her ear again. “I had a vasectomy three years ago.”
The wine glass hit the table. The first thing out of Jasmine’s mouth was, “You tell me this after all of that back in your office? About birth control?”
“Like I said, it’s a secret.”
