I shake my head, waiting for a number that Matt thinks is low and I will think is absurdly high.
“Ten dollars a week,” he says. “And to get that, I had to wash my dad’s cars.”
“Ok, I admit it. You have shocked me… I got the same amount, and I didn’t have to do anything for it.”
“See. Now who’s the spoilt one?” Matt teases me as he gets up suddenly.
I frown.
“More wine,” he says.
I didn’t even realize it but I’ve drank another glass. I should slow down, maybe switch to water, but I don’t object when Matt refills my glass. “So what happened to Marco then? You gave him the choice to leave quietly,” I say.
“Yes. After I learned about what had happened to James, it was the final straw. I had held myself in check because I knew my personal feelings about you and the way Marco treated you were clouding my judgement, but when I felt the same way about the way he treated James, I don’t know. I lost control. I revealed my identity too soon, and the whole thing was a bust. I mean we got rid of Marco, but we lost the chance to prosecute him. My father is not impressed in the least. And it doesn’t help that Seb keeps bringing it up and tormenting me over it.”
“No, I don’t suppose it would,” I say.
I know what’s coming. The most important question. But suddenly, I don’t want to ask it, because I am afraid of the answer. Instead, I ask a question I know I will like the answer to. “How about some of this famous Pavlova then?” I suggest.
“Are you sure you’re ready for it? I mean after eating this, no dessert will ever fully satisfy you again,” Matt warns.
“I’ll take my chances.” I nod.
Matt goes back to the kitchen.
I turn in my chair so I can watch him as he moves around the kitchen. He looks so at home there, so relaxed.
He cuts off two chunks of Pavlova and adds a squirt of cream and some berries to each plate. Finally, he drizzles the whole thing with what I think is raspberry coulis. He comes back to the table.
I turn back around, noting Matt’s grin when he realizes I’ve been watching him. At least, he doesn’t know I was appreciating the view, and he certainly doesn’t know that my pussy is wet beneath the table.
“Ta-da,” he says, putting a plate down in front of me with a flourish.
I pick up my spoon and try the Pavlova. “Ok, you win. It’s definitely the best Pavlova I’ve ever tasted,” I say.
He smiles as he sits down and starts on his own. We eat the dessert in silence, a comfortable enough silence, although there is still a slight tension in the air. Not enough to stop me from appreciating the creamy, crispy goodness of the Pavlova though. I finish the last bite and put my spoon down.
“Would you like some more?” Matt asks as he finishes his own.
“It was lovely, but I couldn’t eat another thing. I’m so stuffed,” I say.
He nods. He looks down at the table for a moment, fiddling with his spoon. Finally, he looks up at me, his face serious. “So what you really want to know is why I kept all of this from you isn’t it? But you’re holding back from asking because you’re afraid I’ll tell you something along the lines of it being none of your business and I couldn’t give a shit if you got hurt.”
“It’s that obvious huh?” I try and fail to smile.
“I promised you honesty, so that’s what you’ll get,” he says. “In the beginning, I couldn’t tell you what was going on. I couldn’t tell anyone. I had no idea who I could trust. It became clear to me very early on that you hated Marco, so you were never under any suspicion if that’s what you’re worried about.”
It’s not, but I don’t tell Matt that. Because then I’ll have to admit that what I’m really worried about is how hard I have fallen for someone who was playing a game with me.
“I wanted to tell you the truth. I almost did so many times. But I couldn’t.”
“Because it would have ruined your investigation?”
“No. I knew I could trust you not to say anything to anyone.”
“So why then?” I prompt.
“Because I was terrified that what happened would happen,” he says, not meeting my eye.
“I don’t understand,” I say.
He looks back up and his eyes hold mine.
I can feel the familiar stirring in my stomach, the throbbing of need in my clit. I blink and try to look away, but I can’t tear my gaze from his.
“I was terrified you’d run a mile and I would lose you,” he says.
“How could you lose something you never had?” I say. “What we had wasn’t real Matt. It was all a lie.”
He reaches over the table and takes my hand in his. “No. It wasn’t. That first night when I caught the train with you, I admit I did it to see if you would say anything I could use. But after that? It was all real. I fell for you Callie, and everything that happened between us, that was all real too.”
I want to believe him. I really do. But how can I? How can I believe anything he says now? The silence stretches out between us. He’s clearly waiting for me to say something, but I don’t know what to say.
“Callie? Say something. Please,” he pleads.
“I — I
