Hey sorry it took a couple of days to get this out because i've been planning something big for my 21st birthday!

Chapter 4

Seth was no expert when it came to dating. He'd done it less and less over the years. He usually just picked up women in bars. Still, he could sense something was off with his date with JoJo from the moment he showed up at her apartment. For one thing, she hadn't taken any extra efforts with her appearance. She was naturally beautiful. Nothing could change that. But…damn, shouldn't she have done something special for their date?

Her dress was a large, dark, floaty affair. He imagined that she could swim in it since he was damned certain that the only places it touched her were her shoulders and her hips. She'd been wearing a sweater when he picked her up. Somewhat reluctantly, she'd shed it in his car.

She wore no makeup. That was fine with him. That meant he didn't have to go through a layer of sticky lip goo at the end of the night when they kissed. But she'd also left her hair in a sloppy bun at the back of her head. He wondered what it looked like when it was down. Once again, he tried to be optimistic. This mean she wouldn't mind if he mussed it up when he had her in his bed. And, damn, he wanted her in his bed very badly.

Once they were sitting across from each other in the restaurant booth, she kept bringing up her cousin. At first he'd had to be reminded of who she was. He shrugged off this oddity as well when she explained that she had been raised by her aunt and the cousin was like a sister of sorts.

JoJo was definitely not the type of girl he usually pursued. He didn't know if she could handle what he wanted. If anything, her conservative clothing only increased his interest in finding out what lay beneath. His philosophy was that you couldn't get a yes if you didn't ask the question. So he was going to damn well ask.

Seth watched her twirling spaghetti onto her fork. It suddenly occurred to him that there could be other reasons for JoJo's behavior. She could be seeing someone. After all, he'd lured her out by pretending that this meal was about saying thank you. Or maybe she wasn't interested in him. That was unlikely, but he supposed it was possible. "So, JoJo," he began casually, "I didn't ask…do you have a boyfriend? Are you seeing someone special?"

"No." She shook her head. "But my cousin Naomi just got engaged. I'm sorry." She gave him a sympathetic glance.

He frowned. "What's there to be sorry about? Isn't that something to be happy about? Or do you not like the guy she's marrying?"

JoJo's eyes widened. "He's great, but…I just thought you'd be disappointed."

"Why would I be disappointed?"

"Because you want to date Naomi."

"Huh?"

"Isn't that why you asked me out? So that you could pump me for information on Naomi?"

He wanted to pump her alright, but her cousin had nothing to do with it. Seth laughed, glad to have finally come to the root of all her unusual behavior. "While your cousin is very pretty, I'm interested in you, JoJo."

He was interested in her. Not Naomi. She'd been peppering the conversation with Naomi's name all night long in an effort to nudge Seth into asking for her cousin's number. The shock caused JoJo to drop her forkful of pasta in her lap. She felt her face going hot with embarrassment. Of course she'd do something terribly gauche the moment he announced that he was attracted to her. "Oh!" She plucked the fork out of her lap and used her napkin to clean sauce and noodles off her dress. Fortunately, the material was black with a floral pattern. The stain would only show if it was held up to the light.

But what the hell? He was interested in her. JoJo knew she wasn't ugly. She attracted men occasionally. Unfortunately, they weren't usually as hot as Seth. No, her usual suitors were men who saw her boobs and thought that her IQ was lower than her bra size. So they weren't that smart themselves. Or she got the old lechers who just wanted a young woman they could mold into the perfect, meek subservient wife. She was shy when she met new people, but she wasn't an idiot and she definitely wasn't a pushover.

Still uncertain, wanting to clarify, she asked, "What do you mean? Um, do you have a computer you need me to fix?" Because that had happened before as well. People found out she worked in IT and the next thing she knew, she was repairing their PCs.

Seth leaned forward, the pupils of his brown eyes dilated. "No, JoJo. My laptop is fine."

She could barely hold his intense gaze. "You want to date me?"

"I'll be honest with you. I don't date. What I'd like to do is give you so much pleasure, that you scream my name."

"Oh," she said unable the keep the disappointment out of her voice as understanding dawned. She slumped in her seat. Somehow she'd been perceived as a challenge to this manwhore and accordingly, he'd decided to pick up the gauntlet. For a moment there, she'd been getting excited. His words brought her back to reality. Dating him wouldn't have worked anyway. She recalled the way he was always eyeing her even when he had another woman on his arm. She would hate having him do that to her if they were dating.

"What does that 'oh' mean?"

She wiped her mouth with her napkin and placed it on the table. "It means that it's late and I have to be up early for work in the morning. Thank you for dinner. It was delicious."

His eyes flicked down to her plate of half eaten food before focusing on her face again. "That doesn't exactly answer my question. Should we go back to my place? Or yours?"

She gave him a tight smile. "How about you go back to yours and I go back to mine?"

"So you're turning me down?"

JoJo's hands curled into fists. The more she thought about it, the more insulted she was. "Are you offering me something?"

His eyes glittered between narrowed eyelids. "I want you, JoJo, very badly."

Her breath caught. That shouldn't have affected her. Yet it did. Little flutters of pleasure took flight in her belly. As calmly as she could, she said, "We have different goals. And…" She looked down at her hands. "I don't take physical relations lightly."

"Physical relations? Do you mean sex?"

"Don't be obtuse," she snapped.

"JoJo, do you like sex?"

"That's none of your business."

"Because I really like sex and I think you'll really enjoy the things I want to do to you."

JoJo swallowed. He could really turn up the sexual magnetism. "I'm not interested."

A wolfish smile curled his lips. "I think you are."

"W-well, whether I am or not, m-my answer is no."

His smile didn't falter as he asked, "Did you want a doggie bag for that?" He indicated her plate of food.

She shook her head. "No, thank you."

"Then we should go." He caught their waiter's eye and settled their bill in short order. JoJo expected him to try to persuade her to have sex with him but he said nothing. He slid out of the booth and waited for her. He took her elbow lightly and escorted her out of the restaurant.

The short ride back to their apartment was really tense. For her. Seth was completely at ease, humming along with the music on the radio and drumming his fingers against the steering wheel. They rode the elevator in silence, standing side by side, Seth's arm brushing against her shoulder. The elevator was crowded because of two men taking their bikes up. JoJo was glad when they were able to get off because it meant the end of the evening was in sight. Since they lived on the same floor, she was unable to avoid having him walk her to her door. "Thanks again for d-dinner," she said, stuttering when she noted how closely he stood behind her. She cleared her throat. "Well, I guess I'll see you around."

"You're not going to invite me in?" he asked with a smirk.

Her eyes flickered over him. Up close, she realized what a big man he was. She was average height and her head just reached his chin. She wasn't worried he would attack her. He didn't give off that vibe. Even now, she thought he might be teasing her.

"Seth-"

He interrupted her with a kiss to her forehead. "Goodnight, JoJo. Be sure to lock up." He crossed the hall to his own door and pulled out his keys. When she just stood there watching him, he gestured for her to hurry up. "Go on so I can say that I saw you safely home."

Nodding, she unlocked her door. She gave him a brief wave and locked the door behind herself. "Well, that was interesting," she whispered. Then she sighed. It never would have worked out, but sometimes her life was so dull. She usually liked it that way, but once in awhile…she craved some excitement.

However, she didn't need that type of excitement. Now that she'd turned him down, he would leave her alone and stop staring at her whenever their paths happened to cross. She told herself that was for the best and she would not miss being ogled by that playboy in the least.

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