I came very close to cancelling my date the following Friday. I was sure that Colton was going to be a nice guy, and I'd have fun with Quinn being there, but it wouldn't matter. Because over the next few days, Zee had taken everything I'd said to heart and showed me just how amazing she could be. If anything, she went above and beyond what I'd hoped for.

Obviously, Jashanna, Hollie, and Gracie already loved her, so that didn't hurt. But she took it upon herself to explain her past to them, so they knew what she'd been through, and then apologized over and over again for doing what she did in the dorm. She was mostly sorry for Gracie and Jashanna for having to hear and see what they did and told them in no uncertain terms that she should have gone about things differently. I had no problem with people making money that way, but I didn't want it to be the girl I was dating, and I didn't want it to potentially affect her college career and have my daughters witnessing it. I know, maybe I'm a little prudish in that way, but I didn't like her around scantily clad women like that at all! She was too tempting to trust the other women near.

But the biggest thing she did was with Dani. I'd thought we were doing a good job acclimating her into the family, but when she met Zee, it was like they were kindred spirits. Yes, Jashanna had been given up by her mother too, but with Zee she also had the benefit of a shared language, and some cultural similarities. Within two days, Zee had gotten her a motorcycle helmet, and was taking her around the neighborhood on slow bike rides, chatting in Spanish with her while they giggled maniacally, and were like two best friends.

She was going to win me back, and I already knew it. I would want to see more, but I had little doubt that she would get there. And no, I wasn't trying to change her. She was already an amazing person; all I wanted her to do was make more of her decisions by thinking through them longer or asking for advice. Not all of them, because her spontaneity was one of her best qualities, but just those that affected the rest of us.

But Quinn was so excited about the double date, and I hadn't clued her in on Zee being back at the house, so I was committed. I just hoped it was fun and casual, and then I could come back and hang out with the rest of the family. I got dressed up nicely though, in a short orange bodycon dress that gave a nod to the original Tampa Bay Buccaneer colors since the guys played for the team. It was cut up to my hip, and left my shoulders only covered by some tiny spaghetti straps. With my makeup done, and my hair done in a loose updo, I was feeling pretty sexy. But yet, we were going out to dinner, and then a club in Ybor City for dancing, so I thought it would suit the evening, even if I'd rather be wearing it to go out with Zee.

Speaking of which, her eyes almost popped out of her head when she saw me coming out of the bedroom. Colton had just been buzzed through the neighborhood gate, so I knew he was close, and I wanted to say goodbye to everyone before I left.

"Holy shit! That's what you're wearing to go out with this guy?" Zee asked in a squeaky voice. Even the other girls looked sad, and I realized that they might think I was really trying to get lucky or something.

I bit my lip a little guiltily. "Yeah. We're going out to Bern's Steakhouse, and then to some clubs in Ybor City, so I thought this would work. Too much?"

Zee didn't answer, but Hollie did. "I hope that guy is worth it," she muttered

"I'm sure it will be fine. I won't be out too late."

"Right," Zee muttered in a bitter voice. "Nobody would let you out of their sight in that."

Moments later, there was a beep out front. "Okay, that's me. You girls have a good night!"

"It's the first date and he can't come to the door?" Zee grumbled as she walked me to the front door. She gripped my hand gently as I opened the door to see a silver Mercedes AMG GT in the driveway. Yeah, he was showing off his contract with that car. "You call me if you need anything, okay? Anyone that can't be a gentleman on the first date and come to the door might not be a gentleman in other ways."

I opened my mouth to retort, but then realized she absolutely had a point. This was a guy I'd never met, coming to pick me up for what should be a first date, and he couldn't get out of the car? It wasn't raining, and it was warm enough that I was only a little chilly in the short dress, but he had to stay sitting in the driveway? The realization that Zee was right made me let out a little huff. "I'll be careful. But thanks, Zee."

"I'll wait up."

I shook my head, not wanting her to lose any sleep. "You don't have to. Just have a fun night."

She squeezed my hand again, giving me a smile that made my heart flutter. "You waited up for me, so I'll do the same for you."

"Then I'll see you when I get home." I gave her a quick hug, then walked out to the car. I heard a little click as the doors unlocked, but Colton didn't get out to open the door either. If I had eyes in the back of my head, I was sure I'd see Zee's eyes rolling at this behavior too. With a deep breath, I opened the door and slipped into the passenger seat, already wishing the night was over and I was back home to see Zee waiting up for me.

I recognized Colton from the online bio I'd seen, and he flashed me a quick smile. "Looking good, babe!" He looked up and down at my body, licking his lips as he started backing out of the driveway before I even had the seat belt buckled. Yep, his bio was completely wrong, he was most certainly a dick. The evening was already off to a lousy start.

"Thanks for picking me up, this is a nice car." And it was, it was gorgeous. I'm sure that it impressed a lot of women when he picked them up, but it also seemed completely impractical and ego inflating to me. "It suits you." Yep, he'd probably take that as a compliment.

"Well, I'm a big guy." Yes, he emphasized the word big. "So, I need some room to get comfortable. I can do almost anything in this car." He put his right hand on the center console, with his pinky grazing my left thigh briefly. I subtly moved my leg to the right, and that seemed to do the trick. He didn't make any more moves as we drove. But damn, did he like to talk about himself, and never once asked about me. I don't think he cared. I had a feeling that this was the kind of date that I would have avoided at all costs had I not trusted Quinn. Yep, I was going to give her an earful of bitching later. Honestly, I might not make it to the dancing at this rate. But that was what the Uber app was for.

Bern's Steakhouse was a place that I'd only been to once before. Not that it was bad, in fact it was one of the best steakhouses around, but it was down in the Hyde Park section of Tampa, which meant it was a pain in the ass for me to get to unless I was in the area already. Going on a Friday night meant extra traffic and almost an hour of Colton's blathering about football and his money and car while we drove there. Considering that Quinn lived close to me, it would have made a lot more sense for the guys to come to a location nearer to us, or for us to have met them in the middle, but it was very obvious that Colton wanted to show off his money by going to the high end steak place. I had a feeling that he wouldn't want me to tell him that his little football contract paled in comparison to what I made, but it might come up once I snapped.

That might be when the appetizers were served at this point.

When we finally got to the restaurant, we pulled into the valet parking, where one of the men greeted Colton by name, and they whisked his car away as he led the way to the maître de in the front. Before long, we were sitting in a small corner booth, with his thigh pressed against mine, and it was very obvious that it was only set for two people. Where the fuck was Quinn going to sit?

"I thought we were meeting Quinn and Alec?" I asked as the formal looking waiter filled our water glasses, handed Colton a menu and walked away. Did I get a menu? No. No, I did not.

"Oh, they're not coming." He gave me a smoldering look that I have little doubt was supposed to make my panties disappear. "Once Quinn showed me your picture and told me you were up for a date, I knew I needed a night alone with you. I had Alec take her somewhere else." he waved his hands dismissively, as though they didn't matter, when a night out with Quinn was the only reason I was really here.

My blood pressure was skyrocketing at this point, and I already knew that this was going to be a fast dinner. "I guess Quinn forgot to tell me that, otherwise I wouldn't be here."

His eyebrows raised, but then his expression changed into a smirk. "Well, I'm sure I can change your mind on that."

Just then the waiter stopped by, which stopped me from saying something that might have necessitated a quick Uber reservation. "Welcome back Mr. Young," he said with a polite nod. "Can I start you out with a drink or an appetizer?"

"Don't worry about it, Claude. Can you please get us a bottle of the 2020 Paul Hobbs? Then we'll start with the seared scallops and oysters on the half shell. For dinner, I'll have the 30 ounce porterhouse, and the lady will have the 8 ounce tenderloin. Just bring the usual sides."

"Of course, sir. We'll get all that started right away." The waiter nodded once more, then scurried away while I tried not to scream. A second waiter quickly brought us steak knives for the impending beef arrival.

What the actual fuck? No wonder I never got a menu, they all knew he'd be ordering for me. I'm sure the filet mignon would be delicious, but that isn't what I would have ordered. Well, maybe I would have, but I would have at least ordered the larger size. As for the appetizers, the scallops would be fine, but was he serious with the oysters? Was he trying to go for the whole aphrodisiac attempt? Honestly, the thought of him slurping down an oyster and trying to make it sexual made my skin crawl. If there was going to be slurping, it better be me doing that to Zee when I got home.

"So, I heard you have a little business of your own? You're a consultant, right? Run it out of your home?" he leaned back and smiled at me with a condescending look on his face. I wasn't sure what exactly he'd been told, but he'd butchered it like the cows that were used to make the steaks here. I was already mentally planning the yelling I was going to give Quinn.

The worst thing was, I just didn't care. At this point, I had no intention of ever seeing him again, and if I watched him in a football game, I'd probably root for him to get kneed in the groin every time he got tackled. Was he really so oblivious? Did he not see the houses in my neighborhood, every one of which was worth over $2 million? It was like he thought I needed saving from whatever single motherhood had imposed on me. Oh fuck! Was that what Zee thought? That I was trying to save her? Holy fuck, I really needed to apologize to her!

"Listen, Colton," I started to say just before his hand slipped from the table and landed on my thigh with a firm squeeze.

"No, you listen, Debbie." Fuck, he couldn't even get my name right. "My place is ten minutes from here, and tonight, I'm going to make you scream my name over and over. But you should know that you're not allowed to cum unless you ask for permission."

I slowly picked up my steak knife from the table and then drove the point deep enough into the back of his hand that if he tried to jerk it away, it would leave quite the scar. "Colton, what the fuck do you think you're doing? Why did you think you could touch me?" I pressed down with the knife a little harder and he winced in pain.

"I... I... I wanted to?" he stammered, not really selling me on the UCLA academic curriculum. Somewhere in the tiny little brain he possessed, I think he finally caught on to the fact that this night wasn't going to go at all as he wanted. "I figured you would like it."

"And do you really think I need permission from someone like you to have a damn orgasm? Trust me, when I go home tonight, I'll have several, and the girl that gives them to me will be doing it a hell of a lot better than you. The last thing I want is you touching me."

"I should have known, a fucking lesbo. What a waste of time!" He tried to move his hand again, and I lifted the knife this time, letting him remove it. "Go on, get out of here!"

I stood up, glaring at him. "Gladly. And thanks for reminding me what kinds of scum are out there. Next time you touch a woman without her permission, I hope she takes the damn hand off." I stalked away, pulling my phone out as I did. I thumbed down to Zee's contact and sent a quick message as I got outside. It had dropped a few more degrees, and now I was really regretting my choice of dresses as the chill hit me in an instant.

Me – You were right. Not a gentleman. Getting an Uber now. Will be home soon.

I opened the Uber app, but before I had a chance to order a ride, I got an answer.

Zee – You don't need an Uber. Look to your left.

A sudden roar of a motorcycle engine cut through the night, and then she was right there as she appeared from a parking lot just down the street. Once more, she'd saved me from an asshole. Maybe that was all we were really destined to do, save each other.