At least finding a purse to go with my ensemble wasn’t an issue. I have a bit of a handbag fetish. It’s probably my only major spending pitfall. I love designer bags. My entire bedroom is covered in them. If there were much in the way of closets in my townhouse they would be stuffed full of handbags.
I grabbed one of my favorites, a small Guess purse with plenty of chrome and black distressed leather. Packing it full of those essential things you never want to be without, I slipped my feet into my boots and zipped them just as I heard a knock on the front door.
Stopping to run a final check of makeup and hair probably would’ve been the best course of action, but I was too excited. I hadn’t’ seen Ollie since that first Wednesday morning at the café. Even talking on the phone for three or four hours a day didn’t satisfy the longing I felt for him.
I flung open the heavy oak front door and tried to keep my smile from leaping off my face. He wore neat black pants and a dark green button down shirt that ratcheted up the gorgeous factor of his green eyes to almost unbearable. He was smiling, even teeth flashing in the light of my front steps. He’d brought me a dozen red roses.
“Hey you.” He held out the roses. “Holy cow, you’re beautiful.”
I took the flowers, my belly twisting into tight knots that sent pulses of awareness to every part of my body. Right then and there I wanted to wrap my arms around his neck and see if his lips were as full and soft as they looked.
I cleared my throat instead. “Thank you. They’re beautiful. You want to come in while I get a vase?”
“Sure, thanks.”
Tall and broad, he dwarfed my kitchen with his overwhelming presence. Vividly aware of his frank scrutiny of my home, I reached beneath my newly organized sink for a vase. Filling it half full of water, I set it on my petite kitchen table and arranged the roses inside.
“I see you got someone to fix the sink.”
I laughed, suddenly bubbling over to tell him about my silly adventure. “You’ll never guess what started the trouble.”
Ollie took a few steps around the table, his gaze fixed on me. “What happened?”
“My phone charger got stuck in the garbage disposal.”
Both of his eyebrows shot up.
“I can’t believe I did something so stupid!”
“Stupid?” Ollie grabbed my hand. “Megan, you were incredibly lucky. The breakers in these old houses aren’t what they should be. If the power hadn’t gone off, your sink would have been live! You could’ve been electrocuted just by touching it.”
He lifted my hand to his mouth, lips brushing my knuckles. The bottom dropped out of my stomach altogether and a tingle shot down my spine. I felt giddy and more aware than I’d felt since before Professor Jackass.
“Just the thought of what might have happened practically gives me a heart attack.” He pulled me closer. “Please be more careful. Did the repair guy get everything squared away?”
“Anna sent Jared over to take care of it. You remember I told you about my friend Anna, right?”
“The real estate agent.”
“Yup. She knows half the contractors in the city so I always call her when I need something taken care of. “
“So is Jared her boyfriend?”
A niggling sense of unease rippled through me. “No, Jared is the guy you saw the other morning at the café.”
“I see.”
The flat tone in his voice and the decided chill in his eyes didn’t quite match the nonchalant look on his face. Feeling unexpectedly uncomfortable, I headed for the front door. “Are you ready? I’m excited to see where we’re going. You never told me.”
The coolness in his expression was replaced by forced warmth. “It’s a surprise. I promise you’ll like it.”
“Great!”
I managed to remain vertical on my trip down the front steps in my high-heeled boots, and Ollie opened the door to his SUV to help me in. It wasn’t a monster truck, but it still took a little leap for me to land my butt on the seat.
“Careful with those heels.”
“Afraid I’m going to unintentionally stab you with them?” I arranged the edges of my wispy skirt around my legs and tucked them safely into the vehicle.
“Baby, you can do whatever you want to me with those heels.”
He shut the door and strode around the vehicle, climbing inside and settling himself behind the wheel. The Barbies were absent from the backseat. I wasn’t sure why, but I was glad.
I took a deep breath and smelled faint traces of Ollie’s cologne. I tried not to be distracted from the questions burning in my mind. Our conversations thus far had always been prone to light banter. I didn’t really mind. I liked the playful tone of our interactions. It was one of the things that had drawn me so forcefully to Ollie in the first place. But my talk with Jared burned at the back of my mind.
“So, do you go out much?” I blurted out before I could stop myself.
He glanced over, surprise evident in his expression. “Not all that much. I date occasionally, but not usually long term.”
I’d already stuck my fat mouth in the middle of this conversation without clearing it with my brain, so I figured I might as well see things through. “Why not?”
He shrugged, looking distinctly uncomfortable. “Women tend to look for one of two things in a guy.”
“That would be?”
“Looks and money.”
I fiddled with the clasp on my handbag, not liking the bitterness in his tone. “Wow, you don’t cut us any slack do you?”
Ollie flashed me a grin. “Don’t try that wounded female sensibility stuff with me. I’ve heard you cut your gender less slack than I do.”
“Crap, you know all my secrets.”
“I can think of a few secrets I haven’t had the pleasure of learning.”
“Dare I ask what those might be?”
“Not on a first date. It’d blow my gentlemanly image.”
I pressed my hand to my heart and batted my eyelashes. “My word, I do declare you to be a rake of the first order Mr. Oliver.”
His brow furrowed. “Ugh, Ollie please. I’m Mr. Oliver at work and nowhere else.”
“So why not Elliot?” I mused, trying it out. “Oh Ellie, you’re so…”
“Emasculated,” he finished, mouth curved into a wry grin.
“You’re a bear of a man; I can’t imagine much that could emasculate a guy like you.”
“Baby, you flatter me.”
“No seriously,” I argued. “I can’t see you as even remotely girly.”
“Carissa would disagree,” he muttered darkly.
I felt as if someone had sloshed ice-cold water down my back. I cleared my suddenly dry throat and ran my tongue over papery lips. “Who’s Carissa?”
He hadn’t meant to say her name; that much was obvious. Ollie was carefully controlling his facial expressions, but his lips thinned into a tight line and his pulse beat rapidly in his neck. A knot formed in my stomach, and I began to wonder if Anna had been right about Ollie without even meeting him first.
“Who’s Carissa, Ollie?”
“Just someone from the past.”
“What kind of someone?” I tried not to sound demanding or angry and managed neutral at best.
The glow from the SUV’s dash didn’t offer much in the way of light to scrutinize the details of his expression. “She was my last serious relationship. It ended awhile ago.”
“Not well, I gather.”
He made a noncommittal noise in his throat. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring her up like this.”
I inhaled deeply and then exhaled slowly, forcing the tension from my body with it. “No. We’ve both got baggage. My last relationship didn’t exactly end well either.”
Ollie turned and met my eyes. “He wasn’t physical I hope.”
“No, nothing like that, but he was a Professor of Behavioral Sciences who liked to do social experiments with beautiful college girls.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah, like two at a time.”
“I’m sorry, Megan. Nobody should have to go through that.”
“I’ve just had enough of cheaters and liars.”
“I have too.” He took my hand and brought it to his lips for a soft kiss. “Let’s not talk about this kind of stuff tonight, okay? Let’s have a good time and try to relax.”
“It’s a deal.”
“Are we bargaining?”
A grin kicked up the corners of my mouth. “Why? Did you have something you wanted to trade?”
“Where do I begin?”
Our conversation slid back into the witty exchanges that were so much a part of our chats. I had wanted the conversation to get deeper, to reveal those things about he and I that were the core of what made us so compatible. We’d touched on the surface, but I guessed any more would have to wait for dinner. Maybe wherever we were going would have an atmosphere conducive to probing conversational topics.
I was both surprised and excited when Ollie pulled up to the valet park in front of Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse. Despite the fact that I don’t like meat, this place can really knock your socks off in the menu department. I love their stuffed mushrooms and the sweet potatoes… I almost bounced in my seat like a little kid while I waited for Ollie to run around and open my door.
“My lady.” He took my hand and helped me out of his vehicle. “I can’t get over how amazing you look, Megan. I’m going to be beating them away with sticks tonight.”
“I could care less about them. I’ll be too busy staring at you to notice.”
Our table wasn’t quite ready, so we headed into the bar to wait. Ollie found us a spot and I climbed up onto the barstool, enjoying the vantage point. He laughed at my antics, perching on a seat beside me with his feet still firmly planted on the floor.
The bartender looked to be a college student, his black hair artfully tousled and his blue eyes reminding me vaguely of Jared’s, though they weren’t nearly that dazzling.
“What can I get you?” he asked, his words slurring together in a distinctly St Louis fashion.
I opened my mouth to answer, but Ollie beat me to it. “The lady will have a margarita and I’ll have a Crown and Coke.”
The bartender lifted one narrow eyebrow at me. “Salt on the rim?”
I shrugged one shoulder. “Sure.”
Now, I don’t know if this is universal, but in the St Louis Metro, a margarita is the pretty much the standard drink of choice for most women. I’m not most women. I don’t drink much and when I do, I drink strictly Bud Light. That’s why Robbie at Cheeky’s will bring me three bottles of Bud Light every time we’re there. I’m a total creature of habit and he knows it. After three I switch to iced tea.
Of course Ollie and I had never really discussed details like that, so I sort of let it slide. I knew he was very much the type of guy who liked to feel as if he were taking care of his woman, so I figured he thought he was being a gentleman. I decided to wait and set him straight later, since ruining this first date was not on my list of preferred activities.
The bartender served our drinks and I took a slow sip of mine, the bittersweet flavor of tequila and lime washing over my tongue. Shifting in my tall barstool, I glanced around at the other patrons in the crowded bar.
“Look at you, short stuff,” Ollie teased, reaching out and tapping the end of my nose.
“Hey, the heels on these boots can only help so much.”
“I still really like those, by the way.”
I glanced down, pointing the toe of the item under discussion. “I don’t wear them much. I’m a big girl already, even if I am on the short side, and I don’t like to feel any bigger than I have to.”
“You’re not a big girl, you’re curvy.” His eyes looked me up and down appreciatively. “And I love every last one of those curves.”
“Is that right?”
He leaned closer, eyes mesmerizing in the dim overhead lights of the bar. “To love ’em any more I’d have to do something really inappropriate.”
My heart thundered in my chest. “That sounds like something I’d like to hear a little more about.”
It was probably a good thing that our table was ready right about then. I don’t usually go around kissing men in public places, but something about Ollie pushed me forcefully in that direction.
Picking up our drinks, we followed the elegantly dressed hostess into a dining room draped in old-world style. Booths hung with thick, ivory drapes for privacy lined the walls and the floor was peppered with linen-covered tables dotted with crystal wine glasses. Chandeliers hung from the vaulted ceiling, and servers dressed in formal attire drifted purposefully throughout the room carrying trays full of steaming food and cold drinks.
Ollie had reserved a private booth in the middle of one wall with an incredible view of the entire room. It was big enough to seat four and the two of us sat together with our backs to the wall. The intimate atmosphere wasn’t lost on me, and I practically vibrated with eagerness. This was the perfect setting for a long, cozy conversation filled with enough personal details to satisfy even my curiosity.
“This is incredible, Ollie,” I said as soon as the hostess had retreated.
He took a big swallow of his drink. “I wanted to bring you someplace special where we could talk.”
“It’s perfect.”
His smile faded and his expression turned serious. “I know we haven’t known each other nearly long enough for this kind of thing, Megan, but you’re really special to me. I want to get to know you a lot better.”
My throat was tight. “I feel the same way.”
“My buddies keep telling me I’m crazy, but I just can’t get enough of you.”
“What do they say?”
He shrugged, a grin tugging on the corner of his mouth. “Most of them are single, so it’s usually a bunch of bull about not getting tied down.”
“Is that how you feel?”
His big palm cupped the side of my face, his thumb tracing my lower lip. “Not at all. You don’t tie me down. If anything, I feel like I could take on the world with you.”
Here was one of those things I was dying to hear, that I needed to hear. “Why?”
“Well, you’re drop dead gorgeous,” he said with a smile. “But it’s more than that. I love your sense of humor and your willingness to try new things.”
“Those are some of the things that attract me to you too,” I admitted.
“But you’re also willing to accept my shortcomings. And that’s something I’ve never found in another woman.”
The mysterious Carissa hovered at the edge of my consciousness. I wasn’t born yesterday. I knew Ollie had been out with lots of women before me. But somehow I didn’t like the thought of them at all. It sent pangs of jealous insecurity whipping through me. Were they prettier? Funnier? Had he loved them?
“So… Are we a couple?” I hated the insecurity in my voice.
“God Megan, do you really have to ask?”
Arm resting on the back of the booth, he leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to my lips. It was brief, chaste, no parting of the lips and not nearly enough to satisfy the longing growing inside me.
An impeccably dressed server appeared beside our table. “Good evening, I hate to interrupt, but would you like to get started with some delicious appetizers this evening?” Her smile was just the right balance of warm and helpful. I hadn’t even thought to look at the menu. Reaching down to find one, I was surprised to hear Ollie order an entire meal for two in one long breath. Stunned that he hadn’t even asked my opinion, I picked up my margarita and took a long pull. The liquid swirled down my throat and hit my empty stomach with a vengeance.
“The steak here is always perfect,” he said. “And some of the side dishes are worth a trip back all on their own.”
I nodded. “This is one of my favorite places to eat.”
“You’ve been here before?”
“Anna,
Jared, and I come at least three or four times a year. Almost always for Jared’s birthday, since it’s his favorite restaurant.”
Ollie’s lips thinned. “So, tell me about Jared and Anna. How long have you guys known each other?”
Comfortable talking about my friends, I rambled on without thinking about how it might sound to Ollie. “So Anna sells real estate and Jared owns a gym?”
“Well, he’s actually a personal trainer too. I think he’s about to buy out his partners and go into business for himself, which is really exciting.”
Ollie chuckled. “I’m glad you have such great friends, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little jealous of Jared.”
I was both surprised and flattered by this confession. Reaching out to him, I tickled the whiskers on his chin. “You’ve got nothing to worry about. Jared is totally not my type. Besides, he’s a player, and I don’t date players, reformed or otherwise.”
“It’s still a little hard for a regular guy like me to compete with a personal trainer.”
Swallowing to clear the lump in my throat, I tried to coax moisture to my dry mouth. I wasn’t good at confessing attraction, but I was willing to give it a try to ease his insecurity. “I don’t think there’s any competition.” A blush heated my cheeks. “You’re tall enough to make me feel tiny and I love your broad shoulders.”
He leaned closer, canting his body toward mine and brushing my face with his fingers.
“And I love your eyes,” I added. “They’re beautiful.”
“So are yours. And this hair…” his voice trailed off as he twined his fingers through a lock of my thick curls. “I could spend hours running my fingers through this silky stuff.”
“Careful,” I warned. “My hair has attitude. It’s liable to bite your hand off.”
“I’ll happily take that chance. Especially after seeing it loose like this. My mind is picturing all kinds of ways to see it rippling down your back.” His eyes bored into mine. “Your bare back, while I give you a massage and pamper you until you’re so relaxed you don’t want to move.”
The erotic picture he was painting in my mind sent shocking jolts of heat rushing throughout my body. I shifted in my seat, aware that my surprise was probably showing on my face.
Mr. Wonderful Lies Page 7
