Page 35 of Money Shot

I shifted my eyes to my glass of tea and stared. “She died when I was little.”

“I’m sorry,” he said as he reached for my hand.

He hadn’t done anything like that before, and I found it comforting and odd at the same time. As much as I wanted to perceive it as a comforting gesture of sympathy, my mind saw it otherwise.

For a fleeting moment, at least in my mind, Vince was attracted to me in a sexual manner.

“Listen,” he said as he tapped his fingers against my palm.

I glanced up and forced a smile. “Yeah.”

“I uhhm. I picked this place for a reason,” he said.

“Oh yeah?” I asked. “Why’s that?”

He pulled off his stocking cap and tossed it in the empty chair. After making a half-assed attempt to straighten his hair and a few strokes of his hand along his beard, he inhaled a short breath and shifted his eyes upward. After what seemed like an eternal pause, he exhaled and locked his eyes on mine.

“Well, I have a question,” he said.

“Okay, let’s hear it,” I said cheerily.

“I uhhm. I was wondering if maybe you’d want to…like trying…you know. Adding…fuck. I don’t know how to say it,” he said as he shook his head.

He released my hand and cleared his throat.

“Sienna, do you want to try and be together? You know, try and see if we can be…like be a couple?” he asked.

Oh dear fucking God, thank you. I swear to fucking God almighty, I will not fuck this deal up, I fucking swear, I won’t. Holy fucking fuck do I ever? Thank you, Lord.

“Yes,” I said.

“You sure?” he asked as he reached for my hand.

My eyes began to feel swollen and my throat got tight. I knew enough to know not to speak. I bit into my bottom lip and nodded my head.

He stood from his seat and lifted my hand as he did so. On some pretty shaky legs I followed his lead and stood up.

Everything following that moment seemed to happen in slow motion. He leaned over the table and lifted my chin ever so slightly with his free hand. As I felt his fingers touch my face, my entire body began to tingle. With his hand now lightly gripping my jaw, I opened my mouth slightly in hope of what was to come. While he maintained eye contact with me, he continued to lean forward until our lips met.

The moment I had been waiting for finally arrived. My prayers had been answered. I closed my eyes…

And he kissed me.

It wasn’t a sloppy kiss, nor was it aggressive, but it was our first. It was the kind of kiss a girl spends a lifetime dreaming about. A kiss that causes your palms to sweat and makes your heart stop beating until a few seconds later when you feel it racing to catch up. It was the kiss that stops time, causing your entire body to tingle during the process; the kiss that sets the standard for every other kiss that might follow it.

Yeah, it was thatkiss.

The money shot.

It was November 9th.

The happiest day of my life.