“Either number one, or number three, but definitely not number two,” he assured her. “As for the products, it’s always true that sex sells better than science,” he said with a brief, unconscious but all too obvious glance at the hostess’ delectable curves.
“And what does that say about us? As consumers?” Megan asked.
Jake made his own selection and lowered his menu. “That we’re human. And that we know what we want.”
The waitress arrived. Jesus, do they hire exclusively supermodels for this place, or has Boston’s pool of floor staff suddenly gotten a lot sexier? “Good evening,” the waitress said cheerily, placing coasters in front of them both. “What can I get for you to begin?”
Jake motioned to Megan. “A dry martini,” she said confidently. “Extra dirty.” She watched as Jake raised an amused eyebrow.
You don’t even know what that means. You just wanted him to hear you say it. God, you’re damaged.
“Certainly,” the waitress purred. “And for you, Sir?”
“Macallan, 1824. Neat, no ice.” He quickly added, “Please”.
“Coming right up,” the young woman assured them, returning to the bar with the air of someone whose tips would pay the week’s rent in this one evening.
Megan glanced back at her menu before closing it up. “A ninety dollar whiskey? A Lamborghini? Don’t tell me you haven’t changed since you were the nerdy teenager I thought had the hots for me.”
“Well, some things don’t change,” Jake said. Megan stared at him, and he looked thoughtfully back at her across the table. Then, as though a switch had been flipped, his charming smile returned. “I loved sports cars, even back then.”
Megan resisted, only barely, the urge to kick his shin under the table. “You must have seen a lot of the world by now,” she said, changing the subject. “Weren’t you somewhere in Asia last week?” Googling him had revealed more than salacious photos; he was truly an international presence.
“Kuala Lumpur,” Jake confirmed. “Tom needs a reliable source for a suite of servo motors.” Megan’s reaction was a blank stare. “They control the fine movements of robot arms for his new space station experiment.”
The blankness turned to amazement. “Tom’s going into space?”
His first real laugh of the evening was sweetly resonant, a genuine and pleasing sound. Even if it’s because I’m a dimwit, I do kinda like making him laugh. “I’m afraid not, although plenty of people would love to see him go. He’s building an experiment in automated repair for the International Space Station. The big solar panels are wearing out and space walks would be too dangerous.”
Their drinks arrived, the waitress doing her best to neither let Jake know that she recognized him, nor that she’d gladly take him home if his date didn’t work out. “Thank you,” he said, and then followed her with his eyes. Her back was revealed almost in its entirety by a dress so low-cut it barely seemed there at all.
“Just Malaysia, this time?” Megan asked, taking the first sip of her perfectly mixed martini.
Jake tried his scotch and took a long moment to enjoy its expensively, expertly created nose. “We tacked on a few days in Singapore, and hit Tokyo on the way back for a technology Expo. Lots of fun.”
“Do you ever bring anyone with you?” Megan asked conversationally. “One of your girlfriends?” His eyebrows rose. “I mean... I mean, I don’t mean that you...” She stopped, flustered, as Jake cocked his head slightly.
Megan was nervous for all six of the seconds it took for Jake to compose his reply. “What are the bloggers saying?” he asked, his tone laced with a hint of acid.
“I don’t believe most of that stuff,” she said. It was their first truly awkward moment. Neither of them could hide the reputation he had earned for himself, no matter that the denizens of the Internet frequently made much of little. “Anyway, It’s your right to see whoever you want.”
“Well,” he said, taking a large slug of his drink. “I’m not seeing anyone right now.”
“OK,” Megan said simply.
“I haven’t seen anyone seriously for quite a while.”
“Me neither,” she said, normally keen to avoid discussing her own love life, but finding it preferable to the embarrassment of exploring Jake’s.
The tension lifted and Jake smiled warmly. “That’s the craziest thing I’ve ever heard.”
“Makes perfect sense to me,” she said, rather glumly. “I’m run off my feet, the bags under my eyes...”
He held up a hand. “You look great.” Megan shrugged slightly. “In fact, and certainly in that dress, you look wonderful.”
Megan’s emotional system had gone from panic to hubris to elation in seconds and she was finding it hard to keep up. “I bet you say that to all the...”
Another raised hand. “Sorry, but I’ve heard you do this for a long time. You’re hard on yourself,” he explained calmingly. “And there’s no need to be. Besides, everyone knows the reputation that nurses have.”
Oh, we’re back to flirting like a pair of horny teenagers are we? Well, I’m game...