“Why do some men feel the need to force a woman to sleep with them when there’re some who are willing to give it up even without their asking?”
“I don’t know. It’s probably more about power and control. A woman who’s that aggressive has usurped the man’s power because he’s no longer in control.”
“A relationship shouldn’t be about one having control over the other, but mutual respect.”
Gage shot her a quick glance. “Is that what happened between you and your ex?”
Tonya closed her eyes as she recalled what Gage had said to her when he’d come to her house:I don’t want you to be tactful, Tonya. I want you to be outspoken—that is, if we’re going to have anything that resembles an honest and open friendship.And she did want an open relationship with Gage in which she could speak her mind and not have him judge her negatively, as Samuel had done whenever she attempted to talk to him about she wanted for their future.
“Yes.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“Not now, because bringing it up will just put me in a bad mood.”
Draping his arm over the back of her seat, Gage caressed the nape of her neck. “That reminds me of the song fromThe Wiz: ‘Don’t Nobody Bring Me No Bad News.’ ”
“Amen,” Tonya intoned.
“Are you hungry?”
“Not really. I had breakfast around ten.”
“Was it an American or continental breakfast?”
“Moitié, moitié.”
Throwing back his head, Gage laughed loudly. “It can’t be half and half, Tonya. Either you went all in with grits, bacon, eggs, and biscuits or you had cereal, croissants, and fruit.”
Turning her head, she hid a smile. “I had a cup of cantaloupe along with a spinach, mushroom, and feta egg-white omelet.”
“Do you always use egg whites?”
“No. Hannah stocked the fridge for me before I arrived, so I decided to use them rather than whole eggs. What’s on the menu for dinner?”
“When you mentioned Asian Saturdays, I thought you could help me prepare a few Chinese dishes. I went online and pulled up recipes.”
Shifting on the seat, she stared at his distinctive profile. “What do you have in mind?”
“Dumplings, barbecue spareribs, orange beef, and fried vegetable noodles.”
Tonya was slightly taken aback. She had believed they were going to have a traditional Southern Sunday dinner, not Chinese. “What you want is more American than traditional Chinese.”
“Aren’t you going to offer Asian dishes most Americans are familiar with?” Gage questioned.
“Yes.”
“Then, that’s what I want you to help me make. To be honest, I haven’t had good Chinese food since I left New York.”
Tonya smiled. “No place can compare to New York when it comes to bagels, pizza, and Chinese food.”
“Now you’re preaching to the choir,” Gage said in agreement. “There’s nothing better than a slice of thin-crust Margherita pizza topped with fresh basil.”
An audible groan slipped past Tonya’s lips. “Stop or you’ll have me craving pizza.” It had been a while since she had had a slice of pizza, because one slice always led to two and sometimes three.
“Have you ever made pizza?”
“Yes,” she admitted. “I always make my own mozzarella, and use only San Marzano tomatoes for the sauce.”
