He hadn’t texted her for three days, not since the phone call. Marie felt a bit crushed. Perhaps he realized that she had feelings for him when he woke up and replayed the conversation in his head. Maybe he was letting her know that he wasn’t interested. Maybe he felt sorry for her. And because of that she couldn’t bring herself to text or call him.

After two days of not hearing from him, she caved and agreed to go on a date with a guy from Plenty of Fish who had been messaging her. He was very attractive, but something seemed off about him. She wasn’t sure why he would have ever been interested in her. With Brooks completely out of the picture, she knew she needed something to keep her mind off the stalled friendship.

Her date--Jameson--wanted to meet her on Sunday at a small bar on Carson Street Street. She pushed for the next weekend, but he seemed eager to meet her. Marie kept a tiny canister of pepper spray in her purse. If he was a creep, she’d burn his eyes out. He was already in a booth in the back of the bar when she arrived.

Marie had decided on a black satin skirt that fell to her knees and hugged her generous curves and a black blouse with a sweetheart neckline and three-quarter sleeves. She felt pretty with her hair slightly curled and fresh makeup on her face. The peep-toe pumps really completed the outfit, though. They were only three inches, but they gave her legs a little more definition.

Jameson was in a pair of black slacks and a white dress shirt. The shirt was unbuttoned around his neck and untucked from his pants. His dark hair was slicked back to show off his handsome face and strong jawline. His profile said he was thirty-seven, and she thought that he looked good for that age. She was out of her league and should probably just turn around and walk out of the place. Even though she’d made it a point to post pictures that represented her accurately on the website, he’d probably ditch her when he saw her.

To her surprise, he jumped up out of his seat and opened his arms to give her a warm hug. “Marie, it’s a pleasure.”

His voice sent a shiver down her spine. He sounded pleased and brimming with excitement. Maybe she had just hit the jackpot.

“Jameson?” she asked. When he nodded she said, “Nice to meet you as well.”

“You look lovely,” he said, letting her sit down in the booth and then sliding in to sit next to her. His thigh was pressed down hers from hip to knee and all she could feel was how hot he was.

“Thanks,” she said shyly, dropping her face and hiding behind the fall of her hair.

They ordered cocktails and an appetizer to share before falling into an easy conversation about their jobs. He was a broker for a regional financial firm. And despite the hum-drum nature of her job, he at least had the courtesy to sound interested in what she did and whether she enjoyed it.

During a lull in the conversation, Marie busied her hands by taking a sip of her cocktail. She didn’t see his hand until it was two inches from her face. Gently, he ran his fingers through her blonde hair, pushing it behind her ear. “You’re very beautiful,” he murmured.

She tried to repress her snort. No one had ever told her that before. She was passable, cute, maybe pretty if she did a good job with her makeup and wore flattering clothes that made her look slimmer than she felt. Not beautiful, though. This guy was either trying to win a cruel bet or looking for some easy sex. Both scenarios just spelled out heartbreak for her.

Marie opened her mouth to deny the compliment, but a flash of gold on his hand as he pulled it away from her hair distracted her. She followed the hand down to the table and could easily make out the wedding ring in the dim light of the bar. Motherfucker.

Her cheeks flushed with color. “You’re married,” she blurted out.

His head pulled back slightly, as if she’d shocked him. Then he followed her gaze down to his hand resting on the table. “Oh, the ring,” Jameson said. “I could be separated.”

“Then you wouldn’t be wearing it. Or you wouldn’t be going on dates.”

He looked at her, his eyes suddenly shrewd. “All right. I’m married.”

She moved to get up, but his hand on hers stopped her.

“I’m married, but my wife and I have an open marriage. An agreement that we may see other people.”

Marie pulled her hand away from his. “I’m not interested.”

“Marie, really. Hear me out.”

She relaxed back into the seat. They were in a public place and sitting in a booth with him really wasn’t adultery. Besides, she was curious about how he was going to justify this.

“My wife and I have been married for over ten years. We allow each other to date and have sex with other people whom we find attractive.”

She gave him a look that said she thought he was full of shit. “And you find me attractive?”

“I thought I was clear on that. I find you very attractive. The skirt you picked out this evening is very becoming on you. It shows off your curves.”

“You’re full of shit,” she said, moving to slide away again. His hand on her thigh stopped her cold.

His fingertips were pressing into the flesh of her leg, but not enough to cause pain. She felt like a rabbit, ready to bolt at the first sign of danger. “You know,” he said leaning closer to her, “some men find voluptuous women to be much more desirable than a size two.” His breath smelled like mint and was hot on her cheek and neck.

“Not in my experience,” she said, preparing to throw his hand off her thigh and flee.

“Mmm, that’s a shame. When I saw your pictures I had to meet you. You looked like you could use some... fun in your life. Let me show you what it’s like to have someone worship your body. No strings attached.”

She gawked at him. “You’re serious.” It was a statement, not a question.

“I am,” he said with a smile, sliding his hand up her thigh. His lips were less than an inch from her ear. “What do you say, Marie? The men’s room has a lock. Have you ever been taken against a wall?”

She flashed back to Primanti’s and her dinner with Brooks while Mike and Ovechkin worked the bar. She had expressed disgust over Ovie having sex in the bathroom of the restaurant. Maybe you’d like it, Brooks had told her.

Jameson’s hand was almost in her lap and his breath was caressing her ear. Marie felt her stomach turn and she smacked his hand away and clamored out of the booth, her purse clutched in her hand. “I’m sorry. I can’t do this.” With that said, she all but ran out of the bar and stumbled to her car. Her face felt like it was on fire.

The drive home was short because she was on auto-pilot, unable to stop replaying Jameson’s words in her head. She believed him. He was attracted to her and probably would have fucked her until the sun rose if she let him. It’d been too long since she’d had sex. Over two years. The last time was just a hook-up from an internet dating site. She’d been desperate to get laid and he was more than willing to let her take a ride on his dick. They spent a weekend screwing around, but she’d bowed out when she found out he was running the same game with other women at the same time.

She had no prospects. Maybe she should have let Jameson show her a good time. He looked like he was very capable. Other than the ring on Jameson's hand, the only thing that stopped her was Brooks. She couldn’t stomach letting another guy touch her when all she could do was think of him. Marie parked her car and pushed her hair back away from her face. She felt like crying.

With a heavy heart, she let herself in the door and walked straight to the bedroom to stand in front of the full-length mirror. Her cheeks were flushed and her hair in disarray, even if her makeup was still perfect. The blouse showed off her ample chest and the skirt showed a woman with full hips and thick thighs. She turned to the side. Maybe she wasn’t so bad when she was done up like this. I look pretty, she thought. There were probably a few guys out there that would want to give her a ride.

Brooks was not one of them, though.

She stripped off her clothes and threw on an old pair of shorts and a T-shirt before washing her face. She could have gotten laid tonight. And by a man who was as hot as an underwear model. Why did she fuck that up?

Her phone was ringing. Where was it? She walked into the living room and dug through her purse. Three rings in and the phone was in her hand. Brooks. Her stomach dropped. She accepted the call with a shaky hand.

“Hey you,” she said softly.

“Hey,” he replied. “Did you see the game today?”

“No, grocery shopping and...” She trailed off, unsure if she wanted to tell him that she had been getting ready for a date.

“And?”

“I, uh, had a date tonight.”

He was silent. “I didn’t know.”

“It was a spur of the moment thing. He asked me out on Saturday.” She left the fact that Brooks hadn’t spoken to her since Thursday night unsaid.

“Yeah, sorry I’ve been so quiet lately. I’ve had a lot of things on my mind.” He cleared his throat and affected a cheerful voice. “So, how was the date?”

Marie furrowed her brows in confusion. What was this tension between them? Usually things were so easy with him. The conversations just flowed. “It was... unusual. I left early.”

“How so?” He was fishing for details.

She wasn’t sure if she should give those details. “It just was.”

“Did you like him?”

Did she? “He was married,” she blurted out. It didn’t matter if she liked him. He was married and, open relationship or not, that meant he was off limits.

“What?” Brooks sounded genuinely surprised.

“He was married. He said he and his wife have an open relationship and they can sleep with other people.”

“Did you know this before you met him?”

“Absolutely not. I wouldn’t have gone.”

“What happened?”

Marie snorted. “He’s in my bed sleeping it off.”

The silence was deafening.

“I’m joking,” she added.

She could hear Brooks let out a deep breath before sucking air back into this lungs. “Oh, okay.”

“He was pretty convincing, though. Laid on on thick. Why don’t single guys offer to rock my world like that?”

“Maybe they’re just intimidated.”

Marie’s laughter at his comment came out harsher than she intended. “Yeah, right.” She paused and then said, “He offered to do me against the wall in the bathroom.”

“Is that right?” Brooks’ voice sounded tight. If Marie didn’t know better she would have said he sounded furious.

“I’m too shy for that shit,” she said, chuckling to herself.

“Are you seeing him again?”

“Absolutely not.” She padded into her bedroom and slipped under the covers. “I’m on the celibacy track. Clean living and five cats to keep me company.”

He laughed lightly.

“Did you guys kick some Tampa Bay ass?”

“We lost.”

She stuck out her lower lip in a pout. “Boo. Sorry to hear that.”

“Caps fan now?”

“Only when you’re not playing the Penguins.”

He sighed. “My goal is to have you converted by the time the season ends.”

“Better hurry. Two more weeks and March is done for.”