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38.

It was five in the evening and I was back at Candice's apartment, sitting legs-crossed on her plush bed and crunching down on the spicy nacho Doritos I stole from her snack bar as I watched her mindlessly pluck outfit after outfit from her closet.

I'd texted her earlier today asking if I could borrow an outfit because after rampaging through my closet for about an hour, I realized all of my dresses looked too classy for chicken and beer.

Reece was a nice guy and all but I didn't want to send the wrong message by overdressing.

"What about this one?" Candice asked, cutting my inner musing.

She was standing in the doorway of her narrow walk-in closet, managing to look sexy in those faded mom jeans as she held up a red ruched sheer mini dress that looked like it was made out of a transparent nylon bag. "I've got the slips somewhere in here so you don't have to worry about your tits popping out." She added, wiggling the piece of straps.

I made a face. "I'm more worried about the reason why you purchased a dress like this."

She pursed her lip. "Honey, I work a six hundred dollar a month job and live in a three K apartment. The bills ain't gon' take care of itself you know."

I shot her a dirty look. "You know what, forget I asked. I can't wear that, I'm not trying to seduce him."

She shrugged. "Why not?"

"Well, let's start with the fact that I'm supposed to be married." I retorted, flaunting my golden band for her to see.

She dramatically rolled her eyes at me. "You should probably take that off before you go on the date."

"It's not a date." I corrected. "It's chicken and beer."

"Right, chicken and beer." She quipped, narrowing her eyes. "I also thought Raven and I were just gonna go out and grab some burgers and coke but know where we ended? Inside her dad's pickup truck scissoring the fuck out of each other."

My mouth fell open. Okay, I did not need to know that. "It's not going to be like that for us."

"Don't be a prude babe, we both know after chicken and beer, that hot Thor replica is going to want your yum yum chicken." Her eyes lowered to my thighs and the implication of her words made me clench them together.

Having sex with Reece didn't seem like a bad idea. I liked him. He was like a book boyfriend-he had the build of a hard worker, he was charismatic and beautiful and he had those little freckles scattered across the bridge of his pointed nose that just looked out of this world-but I just couldn't indulge because I was with Tristan.

I already took a huge risk by agreeing to hang out with him without his knee. If he ever found out, it would throw me into the hot waters.

Or maybe he just wouldn't care as long as I didn't tarnish his name. My husband didn't care about me. He didn't worry about me.

I sighed wryly. "There's not going to be sex for me, Candice. Tristan and I have a contract. It's a no-sex policy."

"Oh come on," she waved me off. "He's not going to know if you don't tell him. I mean, he's far away, probably fucking some dumb escort."

"He is not." I defended.

"And how do you know?"

"I know because..." I started in a rush but trailed off because I didn't know.

She huffed. "Thought so."

The picture she painted in my head made my stomach churn. The idea of Tristan having sex with another woman irked me. I pushed the thought away immediately and defensively crossed my hand over my chest. "Either way, I'm not having sex with him."

"Just be prepared, honey. You can never tell." She flung the dress at me and I caught it with a sigh.

Two hours later, I stood in front of Candice's full-length mirror, smoothing my hand over my dress, feeling uneasy and uncomfortable in my skin.

"You look stunning." Candice lauded, sensing my hesitation. "Reece is gonna be blown away for sure."

I turned away from the mirror to stare at her. She was sitting on the edge of her bed with a bowl of banana ice between her thighs. "I don't know..." I ran my hand over the dress one more time. My stomach was tied in knots of nervousness. "Isn't it too much for just chi-"

"I swear to God, If you say chicken and beer one more time, I'm gonna lose it." She cut me irritably, glowering.

I pursed my lip. What a meany. "Fine, I won't, but this feels..." I circled back to my reflection. The dress ended way up above my knee and even with the strips on, my nipples were very visible. "Too much."

"Ain't nothing too much about what you're wearing, girl." She defended. "Your twenties never come back to you so make sure you live them to the fullest. Go out and kill it, tonight's about you having fun."

I narrowed my eyes to hide my smile. "You're the last person I should be taking advice from."

She chuckled softly. "Come on now, I can't be this pretty and still give good advice."

I smiled. Maybe she was right. Tonight was about me having fun.

Feeling motivated, I finger-brushed my hair to puff it out and added extra lipgloss on top of my red lipstick to make it pop. Once I finished, I reached for my wedding ring. I wouldn't be needing this tonight. I slid it off and placed it into my purse.

For my final touch, I fitted my legs into my black heels, grabbed my coat from the coat rack, and stepped into the middle of the room to do a 360-degree turn for Candice.

"Slay?" I asked, stopping in front of her.

"Oh lord," she gleamed, kissing her fingers one by one. "Girl you ate this dress, scrum dilly yum yum my purr purr."

I laughed, leaning forward to give her air kisses on both cheeks. "I'll be home by nine."

She tapped my ass when I turned and winked. "Take all the time you need."

As I stepped into the cold night, I got a text from Reece telling me he was already waiting for me at the subway station where we decided to meet since I didn't think it was wise to give away Tristan's house address.

I took a cab. The subway station was a thirty-minute ride. When I arrived, I saw a black Mercedes pulled up outside, and standing in front of it was my date, dressed in an expensive-looking stone suit.

My brows furrowed. Who wore a suit to a hangout?

On the flip side, I didn't feel overdressed anymore.

I expelled a breath and waited a few minutes to tap down my nerves before crossing the street.

His eyes found mine immediately and they brightened.

Oh boy, this was really happening.

"Sienna," he welcomed, his mouth curved in a boyish grin, and the way he pronounced my name with that deep Australian accent made my stomach warm. "You look ravishing."

"You don't look bad yourself, Reece." I extended a hand. "It's nice to see you again."

He took my hand in his, accepting my shake. They were warm and soft. "The pleasure is mine." He responded, caressing my palm with his thumb before letting go and reaching in through the open window of his car to retrieve a red box he now handed to me. "For you."

Surprised, I received the box and asked. "What's in it?"

His lips twisted. "Open it." He said quietly.

"Okay..." Tentatively, I peeled off the lid. Inside the box sat ten pieces of brow heart-shaped cookies and a white note that read.

"cookies because you are
the sweetest thing that
has happened to me today."

Oh my. I closed the box immediately, trying not to blush as I looked up at him. "This isn't a date, Reece, you didn't have to."

He scratched the back of his head. "I know but still."

I shook my head. "I can't accept this."

"I personally baked those cookies for you, Sienna, please enjoy."

My lips parted with surprise. I blinked. "You did?"

"My aunt is a baker. I picked up a few things from helping her out."

He just kept getting better and better.

"That's amazing, Reece." I looked down at the box. I really shouldn't accept this. "Thank you so much," I said regardless. "I'm sorry I didn't get anything for you."

His smiled. "You showing up is enough." He opened the front seat for me. "Shall we?"

As we smoothly raced down the highway in Reece's car to a destination he still didn't disclose, a text popped into my phone. When I retrieved it from my purse and opened my inbox, I saw a message from Candice.

"So how's chicken and beer going?" She asked with a laughing emoji at the end of the text.

I narrowed my eyes and texted back.
Sienna: He baked me cookies.

Her next reply was a flushed-face emoji. Candice: Excuse me, he baked????
Another flushed-face emoji accompanied the side-eye gif of a dog she sent. Candice: Sienna, that guy isn't just tryna to hit IT, he's tryna out a ring on IT!

I laughed at her text.

Reece turned away from the road to look at me. "Everything okay?"

I smiled. "Yeah, just texting a friend."

He gave me a small smile. "We're almost there."

Twenty minutes later, he pulled up in front of a modern restaurant that looked too classy for just chicken and beer.

"Reece," I called, unbuckling my seatbelt. "What happened to chicken and coldies?"

He turned off the car. "Pardon me. I know I said that but I found this place online that serves the best Australian dishes. I reckoned it must have been a long time since you last tasted something that reminded you of home so I booked us a table for the night."

For a moment, I just stared, awed. This man smiling at me seemed too good to be true. On the other hand, it explained the whole stone suit situation.

"If it makes you feel uncomfortable, I could always cancel and take you to a-"

"No," I cut him. "No, no this is fine. I'm just-" I smiled wearily. "Thank you, Reece."

"You're welcome." He got out of the car and circled around to get the door for me. I accepted his extended hand, letting him pull me to my feet.

Inside the restaurant smelt and looked like home. The aura made me instantly homesick. A lady dressed in a tight red dress gravitated towards us with a smile on her face. "Good evening, right this way please."

As she sauntered in front of us, I couldn't help but steal a peek at her backside. She was heavily endowed, and I'd expected Reece to stare as any other man in his shoes would but he surprisingly kept his gaze fixed up ahead.

We followed behind the lady, walking past the mini bar and the live jazz band performing at the center stage until we arrived at an empty table for two draped with fine cream silk linen and festooned with two long red-scented tapered candles.

Reece took out my chair for me and helped me shrug off my coat before tucking me back in. As he settled in his section of the table, a caucasian male dressed in a black tuxedo approached our table with a brown leather-bound menu.

"Good evening. My name is George and I will be your server for tonight." He placed the menu in front of Reece's section. "I don't suppose you would like a nicely chilled bottle of champagne to start off the evening?"

"Yes, I would," Reece answered, picking up the menu. He pored over it for a few seconds then looked at George. "What do you recommend?"

George smiled. "I recommend a bottle of the Armand De Brignac brut Gold. The peach, apricot, and red berry aromas give it an enchanting smell and the champagne's texture is deliciously creamy with a hint of toastiness."

Reece smiled in delight. "A bottle will be much appreciated then."

Giving a curt nod, George picked up the menu tab. "Magnificent. I will return with your champagne and a menu so we shall discuss dinner."

When he walked away, I leaned into the table and asked with piqued interest. "How much does a bottle cost?"

Reece looked at me. "Six thousand dollars."

My breath caught in my throat.

Six thousand dollars?!

I stared at him, eyes wide. "Reece why would you purchase that!" I whisper-yelled. "It's way too expensive!"

He tilted his head to one side as a hint of a smile played on his lips. "You don't have to worry, I can afford a six thousand dollar champagne."

"No way," I bemoaned, frowning. "The coffee you spilled wasn't even up to 50 bucks." I sighed, frustrated. "Reece, why are you doing this?"

His shoulders shook with a small laugh. "Because I can, Sienna, and because I want to impress you."

I raised my eyebrows and blinked, thrown by his remark. "Why?"

He leaned in, propping his hand underneath his chin and staring at me from beneath those thick alluring lashes. "I like you."

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