I quirked an eyebrow. “Kind of?”
“I’m really sorry, Rebecca. You deserved so much better from me than what you got in that moment, or for the rest of the night, really. I figured I at least owed you an explanation for why I reacted the way I did.”
I struck up my car’s engine. “Trust me, kinky bathroom sex in a dirty bowling alley is enough to make most people run.”
He snickered. “Actually, I wasn’t as put off by the idea as I made it seem.”
I backed out of my parking space and got on the road. “Oh? Well, you did a pretty damn good job of making it seem that way.”
“Again, I’m really sorry. You deserved better from me that evening. But I was hoping I’d catch you in a good mood.”
“Why?”
“Well, I wanted to propose an idea.”
I dove into the drive-thru line of a coffee shop up the road. “Hit me with it.”
“How would you feel about giving me a second chance?”
“You mean, going on a date where you don’t shame me for my sexual appetite?”
He sighed. “It’s really not like that, I promise.”
“Not to be curt, but it seemed like that the other night, and I’d rather find someone who simply tells me it’s not for them rather than someone who makes me feel embarrassed for the exploration I’m doing.”
The phone call fell silent and so many thoughts swirled through my head. Even if he wanted a second chance, did I? I mean, I felt pretty humiliated after our bowling date. Not to mention the fact that he dropped off the face of the planet after the fact. And even if he were up for exploring my sexual appetite with me, did I want to explore with him?
It might fill a void.
“Rebecca?”
Then again, I deserve to fill that void on my own terms.
“Did I lose you?”
I cleared my throat. “You caught me pre-coffee. Let me get my order put in first.”
“Ah, I’m sorry. I’ll be here after you’re done.”
I swung through the drive-thru and picked up my large coffee as well as a cinnamon roll, and it gave me some time to think. I thought about what a second chance with Michael might mean for JoJo and myself. I thought about whether or not I even wanted to try something again with Michael, even though I didn’t necessarily want to pursue anything with JoJo at the moment. And after I pulled back out into traffic to head toward work, I still felt there was something he wasn’t telling me.
At least I’m getting better at reading people.
“Michael?” I asked.
“Hey there. How’s the coffee?”
I sipped it. “Grand. But I still get the feeling you’re not telling me something. It’s making me uncomfortable.”
He paused for a while, which did nothing to calm my nerves. “There is something, but I don’t want it to ruin whatever chance I might still have with you.”
I shrugged. “I’m still debating if you have one, so you might as well spit it out.”
He sighed. “Okay, yeah. Uh, well, the reason why I reacted the way I did that night at the bowling alley wasn’t because of what you were asking. In any other world, I would’ve taken you up on the offer in a heartbeat. But…”
“But…?”
“I’ve been told by a third party that you have some sort of pseudo-relationship with your boss?”
