Soul Mate (The Mating Series) (36 page)

“
I’m not afraid of my mother, but Mom has an agenda. It is not worth getting into a fight right now,” Cho said.

“Someone gave me some good advice once
,” I said. “If you love someone you should fight for them.” I winked at Cho.

“That was advice for you and Jimmy, not for me.”

“You don’t follow your own advice?” I asked, crossing my arms.

“I didn’t say that, but right now it’s not love, it’s just sex…wonderful sex. If
the situation changes then I’ll fight, but I’m not ready to yet.” Cho backed out.

“You have feelings for her, don’t you?”

“I do and spending time with you love birds has made me think. I might want more, maybe a relationship, but not marriage.”

“
Will you ever get married again?”

“I don’t know. Right now, no” Cho said. I could see him contemplating in the dark of the car. “
Maybe someday, if the right woman comes along.”

I fished.
“Would this woman be the right woman?”

“The conditions are favorable.” Cho gave a crooked smile. He pulled on to St. Claire. “We have the same interests,
and she’s pretty good in bed.”

“What more could you ask for?” I
asked. “We can go pick out rings if you want.”

“Not so fast. I have to be in love
, and she has to love me too,” Cho said, stopping at a light.

“Does she?”

“We’ve never said the words to each other.”

“You should tell her first
,” I said.

“
I’m not an easy guy to love.”
That is an understatement.
“What if she doesn’t feel the same? Then I just screwed up a perfectly beautiful sex life,” Cho said. “You’re young Cassie, I’m thirty-nine I don’t have women begging to fuck me.”

“Is sex more important?” I asked. “From what I hear you have no problems getting women.”

“I’d prefer getting it on a regular basis than act too soon and get cut off.”

“
I’m sure it will all work out, what’s not to love?”

“I don’t have Jimmy’s sparkling personality
,” Cho said. “I can’t charm people like he can.”

“He didn’t charm me
,” I said. “Most of the time Jimmy’s a pain in the ass.”

“You know him better than most
,” Cho said. “We both have a dark side, but trust me, mine’s darker.”

“
You’re a control freak and anal retentive,” I said.

Cho scoffed.
“Anal retentive?”

“Oh and you chain smoke.”

“What else?” Cho asked, glaring at me. “…since you’re pointing out my faults.”

“Let’s see
, you have obvious trust issues and I bet you’re overbearing and dominant.”

“Thank you Dr. C
assie,” Cho said, “for pointing out stuff I already know.”

“Those qualities aren’t all bad. I can tell
you’re overbearing, but only because you care so much, and you’re also loyal. I’m sure some women like being dominated.”

“Do
you?” Cho asked, seductively.

I huffed. 
“No.”

“Have you ever tried it?”

“No!” I thought about it. Jimmy was loving and caring. “I like tenderness. Jimmy is attentive and loving in bed. I like that,” I said.

“You’r
e too naïve to know any better.” Cho gave me a sultry stare. “You might like it, but you probably wouldn’t. You seem too stubborn.”

“I
’m an only child. Of course I’m stubborn. I don’t like being told what to do.”

“Jimmy likes that about you
,” Cho said. “You’re both spoiled rotten brats, but you tend to balance each other.”

“Yin and Yang
,” I said.

“Exactly.”

“I’m a Yang looking for my Yin,” Cho said. He kept staring at me. “But I’m overbearing and dominant, as you pointed out.”

“We woul
dn’t get along.” I said flatly. I felt uncomfortable. Cho enjoyed it. He liked skirting around the edges of inappropriate discussion.

“Yeah, I know, but I find myself wanting to get you under control
,” Cho said. “There have been times I wanted to take your spoiled little ass, bend you over my knee, and spank you like a child.”

“Really?” I asked.
I’m not that bad, am I?
“When?”

“When you spoke to that cop when I told you
not
to.” Cho ticked off a finger. “At your apartment when you copped an attitude over staying at the condo. Oh and today when you stormed out like a little brat.” Cho laughed. “However, I loved it when faced down Jimmy over going to the funeral. The look in your eyes when you told him to get out of your way, well it was downright sexy. You have balls Kiddo. Jimmy needs a woman like you.” Even though, Cho just called me a spoiled brat, he put a funny spin on things. I began to relax.

We pulled up to the Palomino Club. It was a very expensive and
trendy restaurant. I became excited when I saw where we were having dinner. “I hope you like this place,” Cho said.

“I’ve never been here.”

“Jimmy has never taken you here?” Cho asked in disbelief.

“No.”

“I’m going to have a talk with my brother. He always takes me here when I’m in town. They have the best food. He needs to take you to nice places, not out for pizza.”

“I like pizza.” Jimmy and I rarely went out to eat. We always ordered take out or ate at my apartment. I w
ondered if I embarrassed Jimmy. It made me feel bad.

“Did I say something wrong?” Cho
asked. “I didn’t mean to.”

“It’s just…well…” I squirmed. “Do you think Jimmy is embarrassed of me?” I asked.

“Embarrassed of you?” Cho laughed. “He loves having a girl as pretty as you on his arm.”

“Jimmy always wants to eat in at my place.”

“Jimmy is comfortable with you. He doesn’t need to impress you. Trust me, he thinks you’re quite a catch, and isn’t embarrassed of you.” I beamed at Cho. “I’ll tell him he needs to take you out more.”

The Palomino club
looked amazing. Cho walked me through the restaurant like a princess. Several women eyed him as we walked by. He looked nice. He had as expensive tastes as Jimmy, especially when it came to food. There was no question Cho liked to eat and liked being seen with me.

When the waiter came to our table, Cho ordered a bottle of wine. The waiter acted impressed with Cho’s selection. I had no idea what kind of wine he ordered. The waiter came back with a dark green bottle. The man uncorked the bottle and gave
him the cork to smell. He waved the cork under his nose and nodded in agreement. Then the waiter poured a small amount into his glass. Cho sipped it and swished it around in his mouth like mouth wash. He sat the glass down on the table and covered it with his hand. “That’s not 1972 vintage. Either give me the shit I ordered or I’m leaving.” Cho snarled. He grabbed the bottle and showed the label to the waiter. “See.” The bottle read 1978.

“Honest mistake, Sir. I will get the correct bottle.” The waiter said and scurried away.

“What was that about?” I asked.

“I’
m somewhat of a wine connoisseur. I know Napa 1972 very well,” Cho said. “Honest mistake, bull shit. He hoped I wouldn’t know the difference between a wonderful wine and a shitty wine. I’m sure not many in Indiana do, but in Chicago, a place that tried that shit would be bankrupt in a month.”

“How did you know?” I asked. My knowledge of wine was null. Cho piqued my interest.

“In 1972 the winery used oak barrels. There’s a hint of smoky taste. They tried a cheaper barrel for a few years and the wine suffered for it.”

Cho was quietly fuming over the attempted bait and switch.
“I wouldn’t have known the difference,” I said.

“When
I’m paying three hundred dollars a bottle, I better damn well know the difference,” he said.

“Cho, that’s a lot for a bottle of wine.” No one has spent that much on me, not even Jimmy. I felt special.

“That’s cheap for a really good wine.” Cho lined up his silverware.
Anal retentive.
“I wanted you to try it.”

“Three hundred dollars is over half my rent
,” I said. “It’s too much for me to try a nice wine.”

“Why?”
he asked. “I want to have a good evening.”

“Not a three hundred dollar bottle of wine evening
,” I said.

“Kiddo, you’re worth it.” Cho patted my hand. His temper cooled. “You deserve more for dealing with all that’s going on
, and Jimmy’s mood swings,” he said. “And for getting me out. I was sick of that fucking game too.” He flashed a dimpled smile.

The restaurant manager came to our table with the right bottle of wine. He begged for forgiveness and poured us each a glass. Cho graciously accepted his apology and tasted the wine. “Much better
,” he said. I started to take a drink of my very expensive wine. “Stop!”

He
startled me. “Why?” I asked.

“You don’t gulp wine like it is soda pop
,” Cho said. “Close your eyes.” I did. “Now take a drink and hold it in your mouth for a while.” I complied. “Now swallow it and tell me what you taste.”

“Wine
,” I said, sarcastically.

“Keep your eyes closed. Do it again,
savor
it, and tell me what you taste.” I followed Cho’s instructions. I tasted something spicy. It was a bitter wine, but it had a hint of cloves and a smoky taste.

“I taste fall
,” I said. It reminded me of apple cider and bon fires. It made me think of burning leaves and cold weather. It amazed me how I could taste all the different ingredients inside the overwhelming bitter grape.

“You have a good pallet
,” Cho said. I pleased him. It made me smile to please him.  He had such a dominant presence that when I was around him, I felt the need to please him. It was like being around my father. “Even Jimmy can’t figure out why I like this specific wine. It reminds me of autumn too. It’s my favorite time of year.”
Mine too.

I opened my eyes. “I don’t usually like wine.”

Cho laughed. “It’s because you’re young and you haven’t ruined your taste buds yet.”

“What?”

“Stick out your tongue,” Cho said. I did, reluctantly. He stuck his finger in a packet of sugar, and placed the sugar crystals at the end of my tongue. “Here the taste buds pick up sweet tastes.” He passed his finger over my bottom lip. I nervously shifted in the booth. “They’re at the tip of your tongue. Over time you damage these taste buds by biting and burning your tongue. As you lose your taste buds you won’t taste the sweet as much” Cho poured salt into his hand and then put it along the sides of my tongue. “When sweet is gone you enjoy salty, here on the sides.” I swallowed. Cho was testing me. He wanted to see my reaction. I blushed. Cho made me feel guilty. There was something about the way he talked and touched me. He enjoyed making me feel that way. He stuck his finger in the wine and dropped a little on the back of my tongue. “Here are the bitter taste buds. When you’ve destroyed all of the other taste buds, you’ll appreciate the bitter.”

“Interesting,” I said.

He handed me the glass of wine. “Now take a drink and swish it around your mouth notice how each type of taste bud picks out the different flavors.” I did. I held the wine at the tip of my tongue. “Cloves,” Cho said. I nodded. I moved the wine to the sides of my tongue. “Smoky wood. It’s kind of salty right?” I nodded again. I placed the wine in the middle of my tongue. “Bitter red grapes,” Cho said.

I swallowed. “That’s incredible.”

“That’s how you drink wine,” he said.

“I’ve never appreciated wine like that
,” I said.

The waiter came back and took our order. Cho ordered for both of us. I made an angry face. I hated someone ordering for me;
it made me feel like a child. “I’m controlling remember.” Cho shrugged. “Humor me.” He ordered two fillets cooked rare and a tossed salad.

“I don’t like bloody meat.”

“Like the wine, I’m going to teach you how to eat too.” Cho said, taking another sip of wine.

“I’m going to get food poisoning. Explain that to your brother.”

“You can’t truly enjoy a steak if it’s burned beyond recognition,” he said.

I limited my conversation until the
steaks arrived. Cho cut off a piece and fed it to me. “Am I supposed to tell you where the cow came from?” I asked.

“Close your eyes and don’t look at it.” I tasted the meat. “What do you taste?”

“Salt, pepper, wood…and
blood
.” The steak was barely cooked. I didn’t like the taste of raw beef and blood.

“What kind of wood?”

“Burnt wood.” I was being a pain, but I had to keep it light. If this was Jimmy feeding me, I’d strip off my clothes and beg for sex. The way Cho took control aroused me.