“I can be Mike.” Those words, combined with his wry grin, sent a shiver down her spine. Her blind date was a no-show, but this man… Damn. If he was willing to step in, there was no way she was going to turn him down.

Nothing like signing up for dating sites and not finding a match. Giving a new site a chance, this one is different. No pictures on the premise that just maybe you could find someone based on what you really want in a partner.

Aria has played it safe this time too, she didn’t jump into a date, they emailed and then texted for a couple of weeks before she agreed to meet him. The bar they are meeting at is called Corked and Tapped, a smallish but nice place. Aria is a bit early and when the waitress tells her to sit anywhere mentions she’s meeting someone and told she could wait at the bar should she desire.

Looking around she waits for a bit, then decides to approach the one single man at the bar who could possibly be her date Mike.

His response to her inquiry is in the blurb and had me giggling.

However this is MY favorite scene.

“Mike” spoke to her again. “So, how much do you know about this Mike? These dating sites intrigue me. Do you really meet decent people through them?”

Aria ran a finger along the condensation on the side of her glass and then met his gaze. “So far, no. I have high hopes for Mike, though.” She glanced over her shoulder. “Or maybe I was wrong.” A few more people had wandered into the bar, but none of them fit the description she had of Mike.

It was seven fifteen now. Apparently he was a no-show. Gah.

“How many men have you gone on blind dates with?”

“This would have been my third.”

“And the first two?” He spun his body to more fully face her, giving her the opportunity to really take him in. She figured he was about forty. His five o’clock shadow caught her attention, making her wonder what it might feel like against her skin. His fingers were wrapped around his glass, his thumb absently stroking the condensation on the side. She couldn’t stop herself from wishing that hand were cupping her breast, that thumb gliding over her nipple.

Jeez, Aria. Stop it. You came here to meet another man. Even though he hadn’t shown up, she felt slightly guilty to be shifting her interest to the man next to her. A total stranger. Mike. She giggled inside.

Why not have a little fun? This guy was at least nice, an improvement over Thing One and Thing Two. She sighed. “The first guy was too quiet. I mean, I’m not overly shy myself or anything, but I do need a bit more help than he provided holding the conversation. He answered me with one-word responses most of the night, and by the end, I was having more of a conversation with the waiter about boxing up my leftovers than I’d had with him.”

Mike cringed. “Bummer. And the second one?”

“He talked nonstop about himself. I wanted to run from the room within about five minutes.”

“Yikes. Which brings us to Mike. I can’t imagine meeting up with a woman I’ve never even seen a picture of. You’re brave.”

She sat up straighter and smoothed the hem of her skirt over her thighs, thinking she needed to say something to make herself seem less pitiful. “It’s not like I know nothing about him. We exchanged messages through the site for a few weeks and then phone numbers. We’ve been texting for a while.”

“You haven’t spoken to him out loud?”

“Nope.” She winced. “I decided if I’m going all-in with the app, I would treat the whole thing more like a blind date. I sound desperate, don’t I?”

Her stand-in Mike shook his head. “Not at all. I think it’s incredibly courageous to put yourself out there like that.” He glanced down at her legs and back up. “Though I’m not sure why you need to. Why don’t you have a line of men waiting to date you?”

She flushed as she lifted her glass to sip her sparkling water. Then she glanced around dramatically and returned her attention to him. “I don’t see you on a date this Friday night. Where is your line of women?” she teased.

He laughed, his voice deep and sexy. “Touché.”

She lifted a brow. “It’s early, though. Maybe you were waiting on someone or you have plans later.” She found she would be disappointed if he did. It was obvious Mike had stood her up, but this guy was friendly and fun and sexy. Flirting with him was not going to be a hardship. Though she wondered if it made her look too easy or desperate. What kind of woman meets up with another man the moment her date is a no-show?

He shook his head. “Nope. No date tonight. I was just going to sit here and have a few beers and call it an early evening.” His huge smile made her heart race again. “Or…”

She swallowed.

“We could actually for real pretend I’m Mike. You’ll get the blind date you were expecting, and I won’t have to go home to an empty apartment and reruns on television.”

She searched his face. Was he into her? He didn’t have to do this. He could have blown her off at any moment if he weren’t interested. The way he looked at her made her believe he at least found her attractive. “Hmm. Sounds like a plan I can get on board with.”

He held her gaze for a moment, and then he reached up, smoothed a finger down her cheek, and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

She shivered at the gentle contact as his hand trailed down the length of her long brown curls until he finally released the end. After picking up his draft beer and taking a drink, he set the glass back on the counter and met her gaze. “So, if the Mike guy you were going to meet was intriguing enough to go on a real date, tell me what I’m up against.”

“What do you mean?” she asked, fighting a grin. He was fun— sexy and fun.

“I’ll role play. Fill his shoes. What sorts of things did he say to you in his messages and texts? Obviously you were interested. So, I’ll pretend to be him.”
Becca Jameson. Aria: Corked and Tapped, Book One (Kindle Locations 95-133). Becca Jameson Publishing.

This ‘date’ rapidly heats up from here. The conversation alone is worthy of a prolonged encounter.

Kindle melting heat, with witty repartee and some interesting surprises!

Off to read Grace which is the second book in this series and releases the same day!

5 Contented Purrs for Becca!

Becca Jameson

Becca Jameson currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband, two kids, and the various pets that wander through.

After editing for about five years she recently started writing. She is loving the journey, dabbling in various genres.

When not writing or editing she can usually be found taxiing kids to and from their activities, scrapbooking, and reading!

Late at night she can usually be found sequestered in her office creating fantasy with a glass of red wine and a bar of dark chocolate.