“They’re great images. I love this place. I get such a good vibe from it. Wild Thing? Did your father name it after that sixties song?”
“That, and our name is Wild.”
“Oh, so you’re Bonita Wild then?”
She tilted her head with a coy smile. “Yeah.”
“It seriously suits you… so, are you?”
“What?”
“Wild.”
“Oh… no, not really. I try to be anything but that.”
Shame, I thought. I’d love to get wild with you. “There’s nothing wrong with being a little wild.”
“I’ve always been more comfortable observing the wild behavior of others.”
I nodded slowly. “Now you’ve got me totally intrigued, Bonita Wild.”
“It’s not that intriguing really.”
“You’re very intriguing. The fact that you’re drop dead beautiful and don’t prance around playing it up. That fascinates me.”
She studied me for a moment with a flicker of a smile. “I’m not into making a display of anything. I like to fit in with the furniture.”
I laughed. “If the furniture was brightly painted you might blend in with that hairdo I think you stand out a bit.”
That worked because she finally dropped her guard and a grin settled on her pretty face. “Are you in the army?”
I rubbed my spiky skull. “Nope.”
“It’s just that with that buzzcut you look like a soldier. Unless….” Her brow puckered as if she’d stumbled on something taboo.
“I haven’t been in jail, if that’s what you mean. I just like my hair like this. It’s easy to care for and because it annoys the shit out of my dad.” I laughed.
“Does he want you to conform?”
I took a sip and nodded. “Yeah, you could say that. He wants me to conform with his idea of what constitutes a successful man.”
She winced slightly at my acid response. “Sounds as if you don’t get on.”
“No, we don’t. My father’s not a good guy, let’s put it that way.” My phone buzzed. It was my mother. I knew that she’d had tests done and I needed to pick up. “Excuse me, I have to take this call.”
I pressed the button. “Hey.”
“Hello, sweetheart,” said my mother, her voice had that overly sweet tone she got when she was trying to gloss over something.
“How did it go?”
“I’m still here. It’s taking forever,” she said.
“Do you need me there? I told you I’d go with you. But you insisted.”
“Yes, sweetheart. It’s all right, really. I don’t want to take up your time.”
“I’m not busy, I can be there soon. I think you need me there.” My mother hated to impose, even on me, her only son. Even when she waited for the results of a biopsy she’d had a week earlier. I insisted on being there, but she pleaded with me to go to the class instead.
“All right then, if you like, only if you let me buy you a drink. We can go to that lovely little place on Fifth Avenue.”
“Text me the address, I’ll jump in a cab. I’ll be there as soon as possible. Okay?”
“Okay, sweetheart. Only if I’m not interrupting something.”
I gazed at Bonnie, who glanced up with a glint of a smile.
“You’re not. I’m glad you called. I’ll be there soon.”
I put the phone in my pocket and looked up at Bonnie again. Oh, how I wanted to ask her out. My heart sank at the thought of doing that. I’d become a pussy where women were concerned. The whole asking out game seemed so forced and filled with what-do-we-do-now tension that I generally stayed out of it. All of my life, it had been the reverse, women asking me out. That I could handle. I sensed that was not Bonnie’s style. She seemed to lack confidence. A quality that made me want to hold and reassure her.
Stop! I screamed at myself silently. I’d only just met her. She probably had a guy or maybe the chick that was hanging around was her girlfriend.
At least, I knew where to find her.
“Hey, I’ve got to go. I’ll be back.” I stared deeply into her eyes, it was my way of saying something important without saying it. “Sooner than you think.” Was the best I could come up with.
She rose. “Yeah, sure. Nice meeting you.” Her beautiful, soulful green eyes entered deeply and then withdrew quickly. She was trying to hide her soul. Too late. I’d already seen it.
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Table of Contents
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGTHEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
CHAPTER FORTY
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
EPILOGUE
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