Page 67 of The Singles Club

She thanked the hostess after showing us to our table. Polite. Aside from being a little too perfect for my taste, so far, so good.

“Have you been here before?” I asked. A cliché opening line, but it was the only icebreaker I could think of at the moment.

“Yes. The lamb is excellent, and I love their artichoke carpaccio.”

A server brought over our drinks, and I ordered the artichoke for an appetizer. She traced her finger along the side of her glass, reminding me of Vivian.

“You mentioned we shared the same taste in movies… have any favorites?” I asked.

A grin fanned across her lips. “Have you ever seenA Few Hard Men?”

“Yes, a good one.” I sipped my cognac.

Wait. Did she say “hard” instead of “good”? No, I must be tired.

I’d been up later than usual practicing steps, and I hadn’t gotten my usual seven hours a night this week.

“Any other favorites?”

Annette leaned closer, the flame on our table flickering in her eyes. “I absolutely lovedThe Slutty Professor,andSaturday Night Beaveris high up on my list as well.”

I inhaled my cognac and coughed.

Did she just say Saturday NightBeaver?

She dipped her finger in her martini and brought it to her lips and slid it deep inside her mouth before slowly gliding it back out.

Oh. My…

She definitely saidBeaver.

I pulled at my collar and looked down at the menu. I couldn’t read a damn thing when all I could feel was Annette’s eyes on me.

How the hell was I going to get out of this one?

“Was that too forward?”

I looked up at her, my hand covering my mouth. “Hmm,” was all I could manage to get out.

“I see… you’re into role play.”

What?

I quickly shook my head a few times. “No, that’s not it.”

“The timid boy being seduced by his teacher?”

Rubbing the back of my neck with one hand, I grabbed my drink with the other and took a larger swig than I usually would.

Annette reached into her purse and pulled out a small gadget about the size of a Bluetooth. She slid it in my direction. “Press the button.”

“What is it?” I asked.

“You’ll see.”

I looked around for our server. “We should probably order.”

What I really needed to do was get the hell out of here.