Submission

Chapter 6

Lorelei stood in front of her closet tapping her foot. She had no clue what she was supposed to wear. Were jeans and a T-shirt too casual? Was this some kind of date that she was supposed to dress up for? She assumed that she would have to find some middle ground.

She pulled out a sundress that was black with a sunflower pattern. The back was in a criss-cross pattern, so she did not bother putting on a bra. It was her favourite dress and it was what she felt most comfortable in.

She fastened the strap of her sandals around her ankle. She thought about putting on a pair of heels, but she was afraid that she would be taller than Jesse and she did not want to tower over him.

Nausea sat heavy in Lorelei's stomach, and she was unable to eat breakfast. She kept checking the time on her phone and was eager to leave. She left her apartment five minutes earlier than she needed to.

Lorelei played her music in her headphones as she walked down the street. The music helped distract her from her racing thoughts. She continued to ruminate on the thought that Jesse was setting her up and was probably not going to show.

When she got to Roasters, she ordered an iced coffee and sat at her and Molly's usual table in the corner of the cafe. She sat so that she could see the door. Her knee bounced under the table as she watched each person enter.

She did not know who she was looking for. All she knew is that it would have to be a man coming in on his own.

Lorelei's phone vibrated in her pocket, and she pulled it out to see that she had a message from Jesse.

Jesse: Sorry. I am running ten minutes late

Lorelei sighed before slipping her phone back into her pocket. She grabbed her purse from her bag and began to read. She had trouble focusing because all she could think about was the nervous sweat building at the nape of her neck and how her hands trembled. Her chest tightened and she thought that she was going to pass out at any moment.

That's it, she thought. I am not doing this.

She could sneak out of the cafe before Jesse came. She could send him a text that she was feeling ill, and then she would block his number. She knew that it was a ridiculous idea and she felt like a fool for even coming.

She closed her book and shoved it in her bag. She pushed her chair back as she prepared to leave.

"Lorelei," a familiar voice said.

She looked up from her bag and she thought that her jaw was going to hit the table. She had pictured Jesse to be a greasy creep. She thought that she would spend the entire date avoiding looking at him.

That was not what was standing in front of her.

Instead, the man in front of her was someone she and Molly would spot at the bar. He was towering over her and had on a T-shirt that was tight across his broad chest. He smiled as his crystal blue eyes were locked on Lorelei. He was holding a coffee in his hand.

"Sorry I am late," he said.

Lorelei stared at the man with wide eyes. She was stunned and unable to move. The man furrowed his brows and pointed a finger to his chest.

"It's Jesse," he said.

"You're Jesse?" Lorelei asked.

He looked behind him before chuckling.

"Are you expecting someone else?" he asked.

"No." She shook her head.

Jesse pulled out the chair and sat down. Lorelei pushed her chair back toward the table. Jesse did not stop smiling as he stared at Lorelei. She could feel the heat rush to her cheeks. Her eyes locked on the tattoos on his fingers and she followed the ink that ran up his arm and disappeared under the sleeve of his T-shirt. She glanced at his other arm to see that it was bare.

"This place is pretty nice," Jesse said. "You come here a lot?"

"Yeah, almost every day with my friend," Lorelei said.

"Probably convenient because it's by the hospital."

Lorelei raised a brow. She was not expecting awkward small talk.

She was still stunned that this gorgeous man was Jesse. She had fantasies about what the man behind the profile would do to her body. None of these fantasies involved a man that looked like he walked off the cover of a magazine.

"You're Jesse?" Lorelei asked again. "Is this some kind of joke?"

He furrowed his brows.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

Lorelei let out a deep breath and shook her head. The tightness in her chest had not eased. Her eyes darted around the cafe. There were no other single men. This had to be Jesse.

"No," Lorelei said. "You just don't look like what I was expecting."

Jesse took a sip of his coffee. His eyes never left Lorelei.

"What were you expecting?" he asked.

Lorelei swallowed past the lump that formed in her throat. She had no clue what to say. From the amusement behind his voice, she could tell that he knew that he was attractive.

"Nothing," Lorelei said. She thought it would be better to dismiss his question than tell him the truth. "You just had no pictures of yourself on your profile."

"Sorry about that," he said. "Discretion is very important to me."

"Are you going to make me sign some kind of confidentiality agreement?"

Jesse laughed.

"This is not like that book that should not be mentioned," he said.

Lorelei knew exactly what book he was talking about. It was an international bestseller and everyone was reading it last summer. It helped spark the desire that was deep down inside her. That book was all she had read about BDSM.

"You haven't read that book, have you?" Jesse asked.

"I did," she said.

Jesse leaned in closer. Lorelei felt a pull and leaned forward. She could smell the heavenly smell of cologne.

"This is going to be nothing like that book," he said in a hushed tone.

"It's not?" she asked.

"No." His smile faltered for the first time since seeing Lorelei. "That book is an abusive piece of trash. I am not going to do that to you."

"What are you going to do?"

Lorelei bit her lip to stop her mouth from hanging open in horror. She could not believe that she just asked that question. By the way Jesse's smile twitched into an even bigger smile for a moment, she could tell that he wasn't expecting her to ask that question either.

"I'm going to respect you and make you feel beautiful," he said.