evident that Jaleen was throwing her off her game. Not only were they barely talking smack to one another, but everyone was barely talking at all.
“Can you pass the pitcher of sangria?” Jaleen asked.
“Sure,” Danni said as she passed the pitcher. “Can you pass the pretzels?”
“Of course.” Jaleen passed her the bowl and a small plate to put the pretzels on.
“That’s it,” Summer said as she placed her cards facedown on the table. “Who are you guys and what have you done with the real Danni and Jaleen?”
“What do you mean?” Danni asked, although she knew exactly what Summer meant.
“Usually you both would have insulted each other at least ten times by now. Aiden and I are afraid to even speak because the sexual tension in the room is so high and, trust me, it’s not us.”
“Well, it’s kind of us, too,” Aiden said, winking at Summer. “But I agree with my wife. You two are sucking the fun out of the game. So how about we take a break? Summer and I will take a walk along the beach while you two work out whatever is going on.”
“You think you’re slick,” Jaleen said when Aiden helped Summer out of her chair. “My guess is your plan was to get Summer to take a late-night walk with you on the beach all along.”
“You have your methods and I have mine.” A look passed between the two men that didn’t go unnoticed by Danni.
Suddenly they were all alone with only the faint sound of the ocean in the distance seeping through the cracked window.
“What do you say we play two-person Spades until they get back?” Danni suggested. Anything was better than sitting in silence for the rest of the night.
“I’m game for that idea,” Jaleen said, reaching for the cards. “What if we up the ante with a friendly bet to start off our friendship journey?”
What is he up to now? “What kind of bet?”
He kept his eyes trained on her as he shuffled the cards. “As much as you hate to admit it, the chemistry between us is undeniable. So I propose that we do something about it.”
She adjusted herself in her chair, a little anxious about the turn in conversation. She’d spent the past few years trying to ignore their obvious attraction, so she couldn’t deny his words. “I’m listening.”
He placed the deck facedown on the table and popped a couple pretzels into his mouth. The act shouldn’t have been sexy, but even watching him chew was getting to her. “I want to take you out on a date.”
“That’s the bet?” she said with a laugh. “We’ve been on a date before.”
“I’m not talking about a date where all our friends are present. I’m talking about a date with just the two of us. Tell me something...” he said, standing to take the chair Aiden had just vacated so that they were sitting right next to one another. “When was the last time you were on a date with a man and truly enjoyed yourself?”
Almost never, she thought. “I’ve been on a few decent dates lately,” she said instead. The disbelief in his eyes was immediate. Soon, the disbelief turned to understanding. It took all her effort not to jump in her seat when he touched her hand.
“Let me try a different approach. How long have we known each other?”
“Um, about three years, I think.” Actually, about three years, two months and twenty-seven days...not that I’m counting.
“And in that time, have you ever thought of me in a nonfriendship way?”
Her mind raced to the first conversation they’d ever had. She’d been living in Chicago at the time, managing the Bare Sophistication boutique. She’d been the first to arrive at a local nightclub to meet up with Winter and Autumn for a girls’ night out, when Jaleen had approached her at the bar.
She’d known who he was immediately since she’d seen him around Chicago with his best friend Taheim. At the time she was surprised when, instead of sitting next to her on a bar stool, he went behind the bar to make her a drink. Now that she knew Taheim’s brother Ajay owned the club, it didn’t seem too extreme, but at the time, she hadn’t known what to make of his behavior. So she’d done what she did best. Told him off and ignored their attraction. Had she known he’d become a constant person in her life over the years, she may have reacted differently.
“What happens if I admit that I’ve thought of you in nonfriendship ways before?”
His eyes flickered with something she couldn’t interpret. “Then I’d tell you that I propose that you allow me to take you on five dates.”
Five dates? Seems simple enough. “And what would happen on these five dates?”
He observed her once more before responding. “For years we’ve been tiptoeing around each other, so these five dates would give us a chance to act on our attraction.”
“And there’s the catch,” she said, shaking her head. “I assume you expect each date to end in sex.”
“No, not necessarily, although I’m not counting it out.” He winked at her. “These five dates would be more like fantasy dates. A chance for us to have a good time without worrying about the fact that we share a lot of mutual friends and the fact that we don’t want to ruin our friendship. It would give us a chance to experience what it would be like if you hadn’t turned me down the first night we met.”
She studied his eyes, noting the sincerity in them. How many times had she wondered what it would be like to be the object of Jaleen’s attention? How often had she wondered what it would be like to be intimate with him? True, this wasn’t exactly what she’d expected if, in the rare case, they did decide to date. But she couldn’t deny that the idea intrigued her.
“So if you win, we go on five fantasy dates. And if I win...?”
He scrunched his forehead in thought before snapping his fingers. “I got it. If you win, you pick five days in which I’ll cater to your every need.”
“Hmm, that sounds really similar to what you’d get if you won.”
His eyes darkened. “I was thinking more like I’d do chores around your house, pick up your clothes from the cleaner’s or do your grocery shopping. But whatever you want, I’ll give.”
Oh, come on! He knew how he meant it and so did she. She glanced at the cracked-open window, contemplating what she should do. If she agreed to the bet, it seemed that, no matter what, they would be spending five days together. If she declined the bet, she’d always wonder if she missed the chance to give in to her attraction to Jaleen because she had no doubt that if they were back in Chicago, she would have never even contemplated agreeing to this.
Be careful. You have a lot at stake by getting close to a man like him.
She wasn’t worried about getting attached to Jaleen. She could handle guarding her heart. What did worry her was the fact that even though they shared mutual friends, neither Jaleen nor those friends knew the truth about her past. True, her parents and brothers were amazing people and her family had accepted the mistakes she’d made. At least,
