mouth went dry. “What are you talking about?”
She moved to the far corner of the booth and patted the vinyl seat next to her. “Scoot on over here, cowboy. Let’s even the score.”
4
ERICA WAS REASONABLY SURE Dustin would back down before her challenge. He had a whole other strategy mapped out that involved both of them getting naked, and this suggestion wouldn’t fit his preconceived idea. So she’d get credit for being a bold, swinging chick without having to follow through.
All her years of debate strategy were paying off, judging by the startled look in his eyes. Do the unexpected and gain the advantage. His phone call had been totally out of the blue, so he’d had the advantage in the beginning. By confessing that he’d been thinking about her for ten years, he’d lost a good part of that advantage, though.
Now his advantage was completely gone. Obviously she’d shocked him down to the toes of his expensive snakeskin boots.
His throat moved in a convulsive swallow. “I…that’s not what I—”
“How are you two coming along?” Henry sauntered back to the booth. “Are you saving room for dessert?”
Erica felt a naughty thrill knowing what she and Dustin had been discussing right before the portly restaurant owner showed up. She’d bet that Dustin was dealing with a major erection right now. The thought made her go all squishy inside, but she didn’t really want to make out in a restaurant booth. Of course not.
Sliding back to the middle of her seat, she gave Henry a broad smile as she glanced up at him. “Dessert sounds wonderful.”
“Terrific.” Henry clasped his hands in front of him. “We have mud pie, an unbelievable hot-fudge sundae, a raspberry cheesecake that’s out of this world, and pecan pie to die for. Why don’t I bring all of them and let you sample to your heart’s content?”
“Sounds like a great idea.” Erica looked over at Dustin and somehow managed to keep her face straight. “Are you up for that?”
He coughed. “Um, sure.”
“May I clear your plates?” Henry asked.
“You can take mine,” Erica said. “And it was delicious, Henry. Even the barbecue, and you know I’m not much of a carnivore.”
“I thought I’d tempt you with that sauce,” Henry said. “Be sure and mention the sauce in the review. We’re known for that.”
“I’ll be sure and mention the sauce.” Erica reached over to Dustin’s plate, swiped up a bit with her finger and licked it off, totally on purpose. She’d never been this motivated to sexually taunt a guy. “A taste that yummy should be illegal.”
Henry beamed. “My mom’s secret recipe.” He turned toward Dustin. “Sir, do you want to keep your plate?”
“No, that’s okay.” Dustin’s voice sounded gravelly. “You can take it.” He cleared his throat again. “It was very good, though.”
“A positive review in Dateline: Dallas guarantees increased traffic.” He picked up Dustin’s plate. “I’ve been trying to get Erica in here for months.” He glanced at her. “And the review will be out Saturday, right?”
“Absolutely. I’ll write it this afternoon.”
“Cool. I’ve scheduled everybody to work Saturday night, to handle the crowd. More beer for either of you?”
“One beer’s all I can handle if I’m going to make my deadline,” Erica said, “but iced tea would be nice.”
Henry looked at Dustin. “And what can I get for you?”
“The same, thanks.”
“Good deal. Be right back.”
After he left, Erica gazed at Dustin in silence, waiting to see if he’d say anything more about her outrageous suggestion.
“You weren’t serious about it, were you?” he asked at last.
“What makes you think I wasn’t serious?”
“Well, for one thing, Henry keeps wandering back here.”
She’d honestly forgotten about Henry, but that didn’t matter, because Dustin wouldn’t take her up on her offer. “The possibility of discovery increases the excitement,” she said, continuing to have fun with him. “I did one issue on restaurants where it would be possible to fool around. I keep getting requests for reprints of that issue.”
“Did you test out the restaurants personally?”
“I’ll take the Fifth on that.” Sadly enough, the guy she’d been dating at the time hadn’t had an adventurous bone in his body. When she’d tried to fondle him under the table, he’d insisted they leave the restaurant.
“I’ll bet you did it. Which is exactly what I’d expect of you. You’re one gutsy woman.”
She was pleased with that assessment. Maybe Dustin would go back to Midland and think about her for another ten years. This time she’d be able to visualize him pining away, and that would be sweet, indeed.
“Here we are—decadence personified.” Henry appeared and unloaded three dessert plates, a tall hot-fudge sundae and two iced teas.
“Positively sinful.” Erica winked at Dustin.
“Use that in the review,” Henry said. “Just say my sauce oughta be illegal and my desserts are positively sinful. I’ll have a line clear down the street Saturday night.”
“I hope you do.” Erica surveyed the banquet of sweets and decided to put a little more pressure on Dustin. “Thanks, Henry. You know what else I like about this place?”
“The charming owner?”
She smiled at him. Henry was gay, so she knew he wasn’t even remotely hitting on her. “Definitely. And also the fact that the service is discreet. You don’t hover over us while we eat. You leave us alone to enjoy our food.”
Henry flushed with obvious pleasure. “I try to treat people the way I’d like to be treated. I make sure they don’t need anything, but once I’m sure they’re all set, I disappear. Most people like a little privacy to enjoy their meal.”
“You’re smart to realize that,” Erica said.
“That said, I’ll leave you two to your desserts.” Henry bowed slightly. “Bon appétit.”
Once he was gone, Erica trained her gaze on Dustin. “Take whatever appeals to you.”
His chest rose and fell rapidly. “Did you do that on purpose?”
She played dumb. “Order dessert?”
“Let Henry know that we wanted to be left alone.”
She pulled the hot-fudge sundae toward her and dipped a spoon into the whipped cream. “You seemed worried about Henry running back here all the time, so I decided to remove that obstacle for you.” She licked the whipped cream from the edge of the spoon. Then she waved it over the table full of goodies. “Have some dessert.”
Dustin pulled the cheesecake plate in front of him. “I’ll bet if I came over there you’d freak.”
“Try me.” She picked the cherry up by its stem and dangled it above her mouth before plopping it inside. She was giddy with power. Dustin was squirming in his seat and wondering if she was as wild as she seemed to be. Sweet.
He grabbed a fork and ate the cheesecake automatically, shoveling it in like a robot unaware of what he was doing. “I should call your bluff.”
Pulling the cherry with her teeth, she twirled the stem between her fingers as she chewed and swallowed. Her heart hammered, but she kept her tone casual. “Assuming