At the end of the day, I head out of my office to walk with Delilah out of the office. She doesn’t say a word. She really hasn’t said much to me since lunch, which I find very amusing. We get into the elevator together and wait for the doors to close. I turn toward her, leaning my shoulder against the wall. I reach over and brush her silky hair over her shoulder.

  “Delilah, I miss you, you know,” I murmur softly and lean in toward her. God, I want to feel her body against mine so badly!

  Delilah stiffens and glances at me out of the corner of her eye. “We see each other every day. You can’t miss me,” she says quietly.

  I sigh. “You know what I mean. I miss being with you, talking to you about things other than work. I miss the way you would smile at me when you first caught sight of me in the club every Saturday.”

  Delilah turns her head to look at me, her eyebrows drawn down, mouth in a frown. Her eyes search mine for a moment. “If I agree to date you, I have conditions,” she says seriously.

  My heart flutters madly in my chest. She still wants me! Yes! “Anything, Doll,” I reply evenly, trying not to let too much of my excitement show.

  “Number one, this will be an exclusive relationship, no other women,” she says.

  “I don’t want anyone else, only you, so I agree.” I nod.

  “No more Club M. Nico is officially dead,” she says, watching me carefully.

  “I’ll call Calvin and tell him to give my VIP room to someone else,” I agree.

  “We have to go out on a date at least once a week.”

  “Deal.”

  “Really?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Okay, then I will go with you to the zoo tomorrow,” Delilah says lightly.

  “As long as we’re making rules, I have one that I’d like to add,” I say.

  Delilah raises an eyebrow in question and waits.

  I lean in close to her face and whisper, “All of your orgasms are mine. I am the only one who is allowed to make you come; no touching yourself while I’m not around.”

  Delilah blushes but her eyes never leave mine. “Okay, fine,” she says breathily just as the elevator doors open.

  I give her a quick, hard kiss on the lips and exit the elevator. “See you in the morning, Doll!” I call and start for my car before she can change her mind.

  ♫♩♫♩♫♩♫

  Delilah

  What was I thinking agreeing to go out with Nick? I must be out of my mind. If he ends up hurting me, it’ll be my own damn fault. I pull on a pair of tight jeans and a gray baby-doll t-shirt. I put on my sneakers since we’re going to be doing a lot of walking today at the zoo. I wonder what made Nick choose the zoo? It’s different for a first date, that’s for sure. Ryan and I never even went to the zoo while we were together. I asked him a few times to go, but Ryan said that he didn’t want to smell animal shit all day.

  Ten o’clock sharp, there is a knock on my apartment door. I take a look at myself in the full length mirror. Contacts-check, hair-check, makeup-check, boobs look perky-check, ass looks tight-check, nothing in teeth-check, and lastly, the breath check. I cup my hand in front of my mouth and nose and blow, and then take a whiff - smells minty from my toothpaste - perfect. Another knock sounds as I’m walking through my living room toward the door.

  “Coming!” I call.

  I unlock and open the door to reveal the most stunningly handsome man I’ve ever laid eyes on. Nick Santino is standing in my doorway with a Starbucks holder with two cups in it in one hand and a bag in the other. He smiles brightly.

  “Hey there, Delilah,” he says as usual.

  “Good morning,” I say with a soft smile and step aside to let him in.

  Nick walks in and I take the opportunity to look him over. He’s in worn jeans and a plain white fitted v-neck t-shirt, and damn does he look good. Those jeans hug his ass to perfection. And his t-shirt shows off his broad shoulders, wide muscled chest, and chiseled abs. It’s not fair, no man should ever look this good clothed.

  “I brought you a coffee and a slice of banana nut bread. I didn’t know if you had eaten yet,” he said sweetly, handing me the bag.

  I smiled. “Thank you, Nick.”

  He gives me a wink then sets the coffee holder down on the counter in the kitchen so that he can safely extract one of the cups. I walk over to join him and he hands me my coffee. I give him a grateful smile and take a sip.

  “How did you know that I like banana nut bread?” I ask curiously. I don’t recall ever telling him that.

  “I’ve seen you eating it at your desk a time or two,” he answers with a shrug.

  “I didn’t think you paid attention to such minor things,” I say softly.

  Nick just watches me, his face neutral. I have no idea what he’s thinking.

  “I pay attention to more than you realize,” he says, his voice low.

  After I eat my banana nut bread, we head out the door. In the parking garage, Nick leads me to an open air Jeep. Sweet! It’s black and the top and doors are off. I can’t help but smile. I’ve always wanted to drive in one. We hop in and buckle up. Nick slides on a pair of aviator sunglasses, which make him look even sexier, if that’s possible. I put my own sunglasses on, but I in no way look as cool as he does. It’s a beautiful day - not too hot with just the right amount of breeze – and the drive to the Bronx Zoo is just as beautiful.

  Nick pays the admission, and as we walk in through the gate, he pulls out a folded piece of paper from his back pocket. I watch him unfold it and can’t help but laugh when I realize what it is. It’s a map of the zoo with a tour of all of the exhibits outlined in red.

  “You really have this all planned out, don’t you?” I giggle.

  “Have you ever been here? If you don’t plan out where you’re going, you’ll never make it to everything you want to see,” Nick said seriously.

  I bite my bottom lip to stop my laughter. “Okay, lead the way.”

  “First up, Bison Range!” Nick said excitedly as he grabs my hand and starts speed walking toward our destination.

  It is too freaking funny and I have to laugh as I practically run to keep up with him. We hold hands and laugh our way through the exhibits. We are a little less than half way through “The Nick Tour” when I need to take a potty break. After that, we march on to the next exhibit, which is Tiger Mountain. We maneuver our way through the crowd to get up against the glass wall. Nick lets go of my hand and presses both of his hands against the glass as he leans in close, almost putting his face against the glass, too. I watch him as his eyes grow wide with wonder and awe. He looks like every other little boy around us. Apparently, he wasn’t joking when he said that the tigers were his favorite.

  “God, look at them. They’re incredible.” He breathes.

  I look into the exhibit to see two large tigers playing together - rolling around wrapped up in each other, pouncing on each other, and chasing each other back and forth. They really are beautiful. I love seeing this side of him. He’s so carefree and relaxed right now - it looks good on him.

  I let Nick get his fill of the tigers and wait until he’s ready to move on. We eventually get to The World of Reptiles, not something I really want to see, but Nick wants to go in. We enter the house of the cold-blooded and I stifle a shiver at the darkened space. Reptiles freak me out. I don’t like snakes and lizards; frogs are okay, though. I guess that’s because technically they are amphibians, not reptiles. Silly, maybe, but that’s how I justify it to myself. I spot a small alcove where only one or two people could fit at a time and am curious as to what is over there. There are not a lot of people in here to begin with, so I don’t have to wait for anyone to move out of the way.

  I get up close to the glass to see what’s inside. Tree frogs. You know, the green ones with the big toes and big eyes, the cute ones. That is what’s in there, thank God! I’m not there for more than a few seconds when Nick’s big body presses up against my back. His chin rests on my shoulder as his arms come around my waist.

  “Aw, cute,” he mutters, completely uninterested before turning his face into my neck and laying light kisses there.

  “What are you doing?” I whisper as his big hands splay across my stomach.

  “Nothing,” he breathes, pressing his groin against my ass.

  I roll my eyes when I feel his erection. “Really? We’re in public.”

  “Doesn’t stop me from wanting you,” he whispers in my ear before nipping at my lobe.

  I suck in a sharp breath at the shot of electricity that races through my body from that little nip. He chuckles knowingly and slips one hand down the front of my jeans. I start to protest but his finger finds my clit and I’m lost.

  “Someone will see us,” I say halfheartedly.

  “No, we’re blocked on both sides, and I’m big enough to block you from sight,” he whispers, using his other hand to squeeze my breast through my shirt.

  Nick’s finger moves in lazy circles around my clit before he delves down farther to dip inside of me. I bite back a moan as he drags his now wet finger back up to my clit and continues to circle it.

  “I love how you get so wet for me,” Nick breathes naughtily in my ear.

  I elbow him in the side, making him “Oof” then snicker. Nick continues to torture me slowly while I fight not to moan out loud. His talented finger goes back and forth between slipping inside of me and rubbing my clit. I drop my head back against his shoulder and bite my bottom lip.

  “You gonna come for me LaLa?” He rasps in my ear.

  “Yes,” I breathe.

  Nick adds some more pressure to his rubbing, which brings me closer to losing myself. The hand that is cupping my breast moves up under my shirt. He finds my nipple through my bra and pinches. I gasp. Nick plunges his finger back inside of me and pinches my nipple again at the same time, doing me in. I shudder against him as my core spasms around his finger. He kisses my neck as I slowly come down from my sexual high.

  “Damn, I’ve missed seeing that,” Nick rumbles against my neck.

  “You are so bad. I can’t believe you just did that to me in public,” I say, feeling my face turn hot and red.

  “We… we did that. And that’s what makes it exciting.” Nick chuckles.

  I turn slightly so I can look back and up at him. His eyes are sparkling with amusement and dark with lust. The smile on his face is smug and makes me just want to slap him for good measure. He leans down and kisses me softly on the lips as he extracts one hand from my pants and the other from my shirt. As I turn around to face him, he pops his finger – yes, the one that was just inside of me - into his mouth and sucks on it. My mouth drops open in utter shock.

  “What?” He laughs after taking his finger out of his mouth.

  “You did not just do that.” I gawk.

  “What would you like me to have done? Wipe it on my shirt so that when we walk through all of the black lighting it shows a streak down my chest? Besides…” he leans in close to me again, his lips brushing mine, “…you taste delicious.”

  My face burns fifty shades of red as he laughs it up. Dickhead! I will so be getting him back for this!

  ♫♩♫♩♫♩♫

  Nick

  I sigh contently as we sit down at a table in the Bronx Burger House. It’s one of my favorite places to eat whenever I get the chance to come to the Bronx. We spent the whole day at the zoo; it is now 8:00 pm, and I don’t know about Delilah, but I’m starving. Seriously, so hungry I can eat a buffalo. We grabbed a quick lunch there, but we both just had a salad. I mean, come on, it’s a little awkward eating a burger or hot dog at the zoo…in front of all of the animals…in their home. Makes you wonder where the meat actually comes from. Anyway, I look across the table at Delilah, who looks absolutely fabulous with her wind-blown hair and flushed cheeks from the ride over.

  “Hi, I’m Kara, I’ll be taking care of you tonight,” the waitress says, interrupting my admiration of the woman across from me.

  I look up to find Kara smiling flirtatiously at me. I frown. I can’t understand why women do this. Can’t she see that I’m here with someone? Someone more beautiful than she is. I mean, Kara is a cute girl, but she’s young - probably about twenty-one or so - and she does absolutely nothing for me; unlike Delilah, who makes my heart race by just being close to her.

  I sneak a glance at Delilah, who is sitting there glaring at the waitress. Beyond that glare, though, I can see her insecurity peeking through and it pisses me off.

  “Can I start you off with something to drink?” she asks, directing her question at me.

  “I haven’t decided what I want yet, but you can ask my girlfriend if she is ready,” I say, stressing the word “girlfriend.”

  Kara blinks stupidly before looking over at Delilah, who raises an irritated eyebrow at the girl. Kara stutters for a moment before composing herself.

  “Oh, yes, of course. What can I get for you?”

  “A lemonade would be great,” Delilah says, her tone a bit snarky.

  Kara turns back to me. “Have you decided?”

  “A Heineken.”

  Kara nods and quickly leaves to get the drinks. I look over at Delilah. She’s watching me closely. What is she thinking? I can’t really tell by the expression on her face.

  “So I’m your girlfriend now, am I?” Delilah says, a small smirk lifting her lips.

  I grin. “I thought that was the whole point of going on a date and making rules.”

  Delilah shrugs. “I thought we were just dating.”

  I give her a dry look. “If we were just “dating” as you say, then I would not have made you come in the reptile house, Doll.”

  Delilah’s eyes widened. “Shhh! Nick!”

  I chuckle.

  Our conversation is put on hold when Kara comes back with our drinks. She takes our order then hurries away. I’m glad I made my point to her. I lean back in my chair and take a swig of my beer, eyes on Delilah over the bottle of beer. I just can’t seem to take my eyes off of her. I feel entranced by her every time she’s near me.

  We talk about stupid things while we wait for our burgers. She is so funny and quick with her comebacks that she has me constantly laughing. I feel so much lighter and alive when I am with her. It kind of freaks me out a little bit. I’ve never had a woman make me feel this way.

  Our burgers come and the talking stops. Kara sets my plate down first with a soft, but still flirty, smile on her face. She then sets down Delilah’s, giving her a tight smile instead. I can see the annoyance all over Delilah’s face, but she keeps her mouth shut.

  “If you need anything else, just let me know,” Kara says, directing it more at me, along with a bright smile.

  I catch Delilah’s scowl, but the food smells too good, and she is already digging into her fries, so I decide not to address the whole Kara situation just yet. We are both too engrossed in our meals to bother with idle chitchat. Delilah moans with every bite and I can’t help but wish that I was the one making her moan at the moment. I am so glad that she is not one of those chicks who eats like a bird around guys, just picking daintily at their food. Nope, not Delilah. She digs right into her burger, getting ketchup on the corners of her mouth and everything. She is so my kind of woman. Not overly prissy and not afraid to be herself. I love that about her. Shit, did I just say love? Nope, not me.

  I finish my burger in record time then excuse myself to use the little boy’s room. I’ve needed to piss since we got here but I didn’t want to go until I ate. I wash my hands and head back to the table. I slow when I see that Delilah is speaking to Kara, who is standing next to our table, frown firmly in place. I catch some of the conversation – Delilah giving Kara an earful about being respectful and not flirting with someone’s boyfriend right in front of them – although, she does not say it as nicely as that.

  I walk up and put my hand on Delilah’s shoulder when she finally finishes speaking. “Is everything okay, Doll?”

  Delilah looks up at me, her hazel eyes angry. “Oh, yeah, just fine,” she snips.

  I glance at Kara, who gives me an uneasy smile and a nod before walking away. I sit down, never taking my eyes off Delilah. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “Peachy, just giving little Kara there a lesson on how not to fuck with me,” Delilah snarls.

  I smirk. “Did she learn anything?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.

  “She better have.” Delilah snorts.

  I chuckle and shake my head as I reach across the table and squeeze her hand. Delilah smiles slightly and I can see some of the tension drain out of her. After we finish our meals, I pay. Delilah refuses to let me leave Kara a big tip, which is no skin off my nose. We hop in the Jeep and I start for her apartment. I’m disappointed that today has to come to an end because I am having such a great time still, but I can see that Delilah is tired. I glance over at her through the twilight as I’m driving and the sight makes my heart pound and my stomach flutter nervously. Her dark hair is blowing around, her eyes are straight ahead but heavy lidded with contentment, and there is a small smile playing across her pouty lips. I swallow hard. Never in my whole life has a woman looked so stunning. I reluctantly drag my eyes back to the road and just enjoy the comfortable silence between us.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Nick

  I walk Delilah to her door to make sure she gets in safely. I wouldn’t mind another taste of her lips, either. Our kisses are so explosive that I am sure I am going to have to jerk off tonight. Unless she decides to invite me in, but I am not going to push my luck.

  “Thank you for a great date. I had a lot of fun,” she says first with a shy smile, swinging her body back and forth like a schoolgirl.

  “You’re welcome, Doll. I had a great time with you, too,” I respond with a huge grin on my face. Her smile is infectious, and I find that’s all I do when she is around.