Chapter 4

When the laughter died down, Taste Cake wiped away the tears from her eyes.

"Oh, shoot. That was a good one," she said before sitting down at the table and motioning for him to sit across from her. "I used Tasty Cake for the sign-in on your company's website. Do you wanna know my real name?"

He shrugged and sat down as well.

"Sure. What's your real name?"

But to his surprise, she laughed again. "Isn't that confidential? Do you want us both to get fined? I read the whole contract, you know. It says that the client isn’t supposed to know the escort’s real name, and vice versa."

It was in the contract? he thought.

Shit, and why am I disappointed?

Why does he feel like he's missing out on knowing her real name?

"Hello, Ma'am TeeCay and Sir Jefferson—here are your drinks."

A waiter placed two glasses of water and two cups of red wine on the table. He didn’t remember ordering, but he guessed TeeCay must have said to bring the red wine.

"Here's the menu." The waiter placed two menu booklets in front of them. "Just call me when you're ready to order."

"No, actually, I'm ready to order," TeeCay said, smiling at him. "What would you like, Jeff?"

Why does this feel reversed? Shouldn't I be the one asking that? I'm the guy, and—

"This is the first time I've been here, but I already know what I want. How about you? Would you like chicken, pork, beef, or fish?"

"I'll have beef." He glanced at the waiter, who was ready to write their orders. "Do you have roasted beef?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Can I get roasted beef with vegetables on the side?"

"We have grilled corn and carrots, cheesy broccoli, buttered corn, and mashed potatoes— you can choose two side dishes, Sir."

"Give me grilled corn and carrots, that's all. Thanks."

The waiter jotted down the order before turning to TeeCay.

"How about you, Ma'am?"

TeeCay let out a sweet, big smile. "One fried chicken for me. Grilled buttered corn and mashed potatoes as my side dishes. Oh, and please bring one plate of creamy fettuccine alfredo. Thanks."

The waiter easily listed everything before repeating the orders back to them.

"One roasted beef with grilled corn and carrots for the gentleman, and one fried chicken with buttered corn and mashed potatoes, and one order of fettuccine alfredo for the lady. I'll have them ready for you now, Ma'am TeeCay and Sir Jeff."

Just as the waiter turned to leave, TeeCay stopped him by grabbing his arm. He turned and faced her again.

"When I said one fried chicken, I meant the whole chicken. And when I said one plate of creamy fettuccine alfredo, I meant the big one." She glanced at him and smiled. "Do you also want pasta, Jefferson? That one big plate is just for me."

He bit his lip to hold back a smile. It wasn’t because of what TeeCay said but because of the waiter’s reaction. He saw the waiter’s eyes widen before he corrected what he'd written.

"No, I'm happy with my order. Thanks for asking."

"There you have it, Mark," TeeCay said, eyeing the waiter’s name tag.

"I'll prepare your orders now, Ma'am. Excuse me for a minute."

Once the waiter was gone, TeeCay turned back to him. She placed her hands on the table, interlocking her fingers, and smiled.

"I thought I asked for a tall, dark, and handsome date. But I guess that's not what the agency sent me."

You just described the real Jeff—the man who was supposed to be your date.

And he couldn’t help but laugh because, aside from the "tall" part, nothing else was right. Oh, he was cute, at least.

"Am I the complete opposite of what you wanted?" he asked, smiling a little.

"You're fine."

Wow. He secretly laughed at himself.

You're just fine, Phillian. You're nothing special...

"You're tall and cute, so that's okay," she added, smiling again. Her eyes squinted from the smile, highlighting her round cheeks.

And he smiled back. It was impossible not to. Her joy was so contagious that he couldn’t help but smile along.

"How long have you been doing escort work?"

The smile left his lips, replaced by a grimace at the sudden question. Why did that sound so awkward?

"N-Not long..."

"Are you enjoying it?"

He shrugged nonchalantly. "It was okay."

"So, why exactly did you do it?"

He took a deep breath and tried to force a smile. "Are we seriously talking about this? Shouldn’t we be discussing you and what you want to do tonight? This is your night—and we should make it worthwhile. So, please stop asking about me."

Her hands, which were resting on the table, raised to her chin. She propped her face on her hand and looked at him, her wide smile still in place. He doubted she heard what he said.

"So, what are you looking for in a woman, Jefferson?"

He secretly rolled his eyes. Looks like she didn’t listen to him earlier.