A Date to Remember (8 page)
Read A Date to Remember Online
Authors: LeTeisha Newton
“I didn’t know about any of that,” Sam said, hurt for Joel.
“I’m sure you didn’t,” Natalie said kindly.
“But we weren’t meant to be like this. It was only a deal between us. If we had decided on a relationship, I may have told him, but we didn’t. I thought he’d want nothing more from me than my body. Why would I have thought to tell him who I really was if there was no future?” Sam asked.
“Because somewhere along the line, you fell in love with him, and when you love someone, you don’t keep things from them, no matter what can happen on the other side,” Maddox said then quietly.
The man was wise beyond his years. Yes, Sam realized that, but things were so different now. If she had the chance, she’d go back and change that day in the bedroom. She now knew that was what he’d been asking of her, that he’d known she wasn’t Natalie but still wanted her. He may have wanted a relationship then but hadn’t even known it. Sam’s refusal of his questions, even unwittingly, had pushed him toward steeling his heart against her. But she hadn’t known.
“I would change it if I could. I swear to you, Maddox, I would. But it’s too late now,” Sam said, tears clogging her throat.
“I don’t know about that,” Maddox said then.
“What are you thinking? I can always tell when the wheels are turning up there,” Natalie questioned.
“How about we take it back to the beginning? Reverse time, so to speak.”
“What the hell are you talking about, Maddox?” Sam asked, confused.
“It all started with a date, didn’t it? A date where you weren’t who you said you were. How about you have one again, where you are you? No subterfuge, no lies, just the two of you.”
“You think he will agree?” Natalie asked.
“Who knows, but at least you can say you tried, right? I’ll set it up. I won’t promise anything so there aren’t any expectations. If he doesn’t agree, you’ll know you’ve tried. If he does, but doesn’t want more than that night, then you’ve gotten closure,” Maddox said.
“But if he wants what you want, then you get the whole cake. Honey, the question is, what are you willing to do to get that chance?” Natalie asked.
What was she willing to do? She was lost without Joel. Maddox was right. If she could just get the date with him, then she could at least see him again, get what she needed to off her chest. For that, she was willing to do a lot. She at least could see him again. Sam knew what what-ifs could do. She was going through them. She questioned herself constantly as to what she could have done, what she could have changed, to keep Joel at her side. She didn’t want to pass up this opportunity and build dreams around it that she could only experience in her head. She wanted to try.
“Make the call, Maddox. I’m willing to do a lot for love.”
Chapter Fifteen
Sam was nervous to say the least. Dressed in a slinky black minidress, courtesy of her month with Joel, and four-inch stilettos on her feet, she sat waiting for him in the restaurant. A white rose rested on her plate as she twisted the napkin to pieces under the table. Her gaze constantly scanned for Joel. When she’d first learned that he’d agreed to the date, she couldn’t believe it. She knew Joel. He didn’t do anything he didn’t want to do. He may be cold toward her, he may even give her a hard time, but he never would have come if he didn’t want to. He just needed to come through the door, and all of her carefully laid plans could be set in motion.
She sighed, forcing her fingers to let go of the napkin and rest on top of the table. She crossed her legs and closed her eyes, breathing deeply to calm herself. She wanted to tell him what she felt, but she didn’t want to seem like a desperate stalker either. She needed him to listen, not be ready to bolt for the door.
When she thought she was calm enough, she opened her eyes, and there he stood. Her eyes drank him in. He wore a black-on-black suit, accenting his dark features and emerald gaze. His hair was artfully dressed around his ears and slightly damp. His jaw was covered with a slight dark beard that lent him a hint of danger. Something in her heart eased. Just being close to him soothed her in a way she hadn’t realized she’d been missing.
“I would think you would be hungrily waiting for me,” he said then, and she remembered him saying those exact words the night they met. She let her desire for him enter her voice, her knowledge of his body, when she spoke.
“I just might have been,” she said, her voice husky. He smiled slightly at that and sat across from her.
“I only have five minutes for this. I just was curious as to why you wanted to see me. Not many people will pass on a check that was for that much. I wanted to see what you wanted. I figured you’d want this back,” he said and pulled a folded check out of his pocket. He pushed it across the table to her.
When she looked down, it was the check he’d written for her. She wouldn’t forget it. She thought he would want to take a hit at her, but now she saw his face. She recognized the signs of sleeplessness, or pain. She saw it in the mirror when she looked at herself. He wanted to be here. He was just being cautious. She took a deep breath. It was now or never.
“Hi. My name is Samantha Marie Johnson. I am a culture specialist who likes late-night Chinese food, old kung fu movies, forensic shows, and puzzles. I may not always be the most graceful woman in the world, and most of the time—my friend Natalie would agree—I tend to hide from life. But what I do know is I love you more than you will ever know, and I don’t have much money, but I can write you a good IOU for the rest of my life, and you can keep my heart as collateral.”
She held her hand out to him, waiting for him to bridge the gap. She’d taken a leap of faith. She’d put her heart on the line and dove off the cliff. All she needed was for him to catch her.
She sat, waiting for him, as he stared at her. Seconds ticked by, long enough for her shoulder to start aching, and he never moved. She felt the pain start in her chest, felt the battered organ squeeze with disbelief. She’d messed things up too badly. She’d pushed him away more than she’d known with her lie, and she wouldn’t win him now. She wouldn’t get him back. She took a deep breath, fighting tears, as she began to withdraw her hand. At the last second, he grasped her hand and pulled. She got up out of her chair, a watery smile on her face, and sank into his lap.
She felt like she was in heaven when he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her. Oh, how she’d missed his kiss. Oh, how she’d missed the feel of his body against hers. He was real, alive, and hard under her, around her. She’d needed this. Something had been missing since she hadn’t been with Joel. His smile, his voice, his hands, everything. She wanted her partner, the man who’d fall asleep watching movies with her, watch her shows, and talk to her about her life. She wanted it all. When he broke the kiss, sitting back, he had a serious expression on his face.
“I love you too. I have since the moment I woke up and realized a woman had given herself to me because she couldn’t help herself, and still didn’t want a thing from me. Since I love late-night Chinese food, old-school kung fu movies, forensic shows, and puzzles, I suppose it’s a good trade, but I’ll need you to marry me. That’s much safer collateral than just your heart for me.”
He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a black velvet box. When he opened it, she nearly fainted. In the center of the silk-lined box, an amazing diamond sparkled at her. She’d never seen one that big outside of magazines, on stars’ hands. The center diamond, which looked to be a number of carats, was in an invisible setting, swimming between smaller diamonds going down the sides of the ring. The wedding band was covered with matching diamonds. She’d be glittering every time she moved with that on.
“You haven’t answered yet?” Joel said with a strained laugh.
“You took a while to answer me too,” she tossed back, looking at him.
“That was cruel of me. I knew what I was going to say. I just was hurt that it took us this long to get to this, that it took you this long to contact me. I bought the ring the day you left, but I just couldn’t give it to you. I needed you to be open with me.”
“I know. Maddox told me about your parents. I’m sorry, Joel. I just never believed you wanted more than that month.”
“You taught me that I wanted more. I owe that to you,” Joel said then, smiling, and then kissed the tip of her nose. “So what’s your answer, Samantha?”
It was the first time she’d heard her name on his lips. It sounded good. It sounded right. She was happier than she’d ever been in her life. She turned to him, her hands framing his face.
“You have a deal,” she said then and claimed his mouth with hers.
They were good at deals. They worked well together. This deal, though, was a permanent merger, and she was never letting her partner sell his shares. That she was sure of.
The End
About the Author
LeTeisha Newton is the author of a plethora of novels. As a Goodreads, NightReading, Amazon, Kindle, Sony, and Diesel author, LeTeisha has begun to reach out to fans. She began writing long before she ever thought about publishing. Thanks to an amazing teacher that kept telling her to STOP reading in class, she decided to go further than she ever thought possible with her writing.
Baile
, her premier novel, is the only one written in the first person, and, at times, her go to novel for inspiration. As a mother herself,
LeTeisha
truly felt the way
Yfel
did about doing anything for one’s children, go to any lengths, and smile at the end. She enjoys hearing from her fans. Follow her on twitter @LeTeishaNewton.
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