father didn’t have any sons and thought of me as his son. I’m the only one he trusts aside from my father. Marianna always wanted to help run his business, but her father didn’t think she was equipped to.”
“Because she’s a woman?”
“Probably.”
“Everything all nice and neat and planned out for you…sounds perfect.”
“I suppose it does.”
“So what’s the problem?” She twisted open a cookie and licked the white cream off. He was transfixed by the movements of her tongue. She snapped her fingers. “You were saying?”
“Oh…uh…yeah.” He shook his head. “The problem is that I never loved her and I don’t think she ever loved me. Hell, I don’t think Marianna loves anyone but Marianna.” He took half of the cookie out of Jamie Lynn’s hand and ate it. He never indulged in sweets in the middle of the day like this. It was delicious. Maybe because she’d just licked it and he’d envisioned her tongue in other places. He tried to banish the thought and continued. “Oh wait, that’s not true—she loves money and charging things on my credit cards. Oh, and she loves to suck my ex–best friend Gino’s cock. Yep, those two things Marianna loves. But me? No, she didn’t love me.”
JL winced. “Ouch.”
He lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “Yep. Caught her. Miss Prim and Proper was on her knees under our imported mahogany dining room table, bone china and linen napkins properly set, sucking him like a Hoover when I walked in early from a business meeting.” The bitch had always acted as if giving a blow job was beneath her. Not once in the two miserable years they’d been married had those lips ever touched his dick. She was a frigid bitch. Or so he thought…
“You don’t seem over it.”
“I am.” He looked up to the sky. “I’m actually good. Better than I’ve been in a long time. It just irritates me that I wasted so many years of my life dating her and then in a loveless marriage. That’s what upsets me, not so much what she did. Regardless, it gave me the excuse I needed to get out of Brazil. My father had some business to take care of here, and I told him I’d come. He thought I was devastated by her infidelity and needed to get away. The truth is, I just wanted to get away.”
“So, your divorce…it’s really finalized?”
“Yes. Thank God. It took over a year, but it’s done.” He turned to face JL. “I haven’t seen Marianna in about a year, Jamie Lynn. I haven’t had feelings for her in…probably ever. I don’t want you to think I’ve been cheating on my wife this past year. I’m not. If you and I were to…I promise I’m a single man. Completely. Legally, and definitely emotionally.”
She nodded and smiled. “Cool. I feel better about that. Not that you and I are going to do anything, but just, you know…in case.” Dusting her hands on her thighs, she stood up. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”
He stood slowly, not wanting the date to end already. “You want to grab lunch?”
“Stop trying to top me. I’m in charge, remember?” She walked in front of him. “Let’s get going.” He was happy she had more up her sleeve, because he wasn’t ready to end the day.
Where was this woman leading him?
And why was he so eager to follow?
Chapter 4
JL hadn’t dated in over a year, and even then those men had never lasted more than a few weeks. She was sure that things with Enzo weren’t going to go anywhere. They were just too different. His job, his car, his upbringing…it was all too much. But at least they could have fun for a while. Well, if he’d even agree to go out with her after today.
She gave him directions, and ten minutes later they were parked in front of a large warehouse. “Where are we now?”
“Have you ever been rock climbing?” she asked as she climbed out of his car.
His arm brushed against hers, and she tried to ignore the electric current the touch sent down her arm all the way to the tips of her fingers. She took a small step away. “Let’s grab a hot dog first.” She pointed to the street vendor in front of the warehouse. “Best hot dog you’ll ever have.”
“Uh…yeah, sure,” he said, not looking too excited to eat from a hot dog cart. She snorted, loving the fact that she was obviously taking him out