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Silvia

Silvia POV

I finished putting on the eyeliner and stared at the final result. "She was gorgeous," I thought as I smiled to myself. I pushed the eyeliner away and ran my fingers through my big, thick curls. They looked wild, and the reality was that it had taken me a bit of work to get them that way.

I was excited for my date tonight. It was only my third date with Stephen, but the first two had gone so well that I was eager to see what happened between us. He was sweet, smart and interesting. I was nervous about dating through a dating app, and to be honest, I wasn't really sure why I signed up. I wasn't the type of woman who thought she needed a man to complete her life. But now that my sister was married, I felt a little lonely in her apartment. And although I knew I had friends I could hang out with, seeing my sister, Katy, and her husband, Ronny, I figured she also had a longing to have a love in my life.

Ronny was the perfect guy and I wanted to find one like him. He had three brothers, but from what I could see, none of them were like him. Gerard was basically a womanizer who fucked every woman he came into contact with. At least, that's what the gossip said. His other brother, Carter, I didn't get to know well, but he seemed too uptight for me, so he was out. Noah could be interesting. He was the wild child, the black sheep of the family. But Katy told me that Andi had warned him about him, and that she didn't think he was a good fit, so they were all out. Hence, I signed up for a dating app and met Stephen.

If things went well tonight, maybe he would bring me home and we could take this relationship to the next level. It had been a long time since I had touched a man, and even longer since I had touched one who really knew what he was doing. Stephen seemed to have confidence in all areas of his life, so I was sure he must have me in bed too.

I looked in the full-length mirror to see my outfit. The tight dress that showed off my assets without showing too much skin, the cat eye makeup, and my unruly curls. If Stephen didn't take the hint, it was going to be a lost cause.

I was putting on some perfume when my phone rang with my sister's ringtone. I picked it up and hit the answer button.

"Hello Sil, how are you? "Katy's voice came from the other end of the line.

"You're interrupting my appointment preparation routine. She laughed.

"Oh I'm sorry. I don't entertain you much. I just wanted to tell you that there is an opening in the marketing department at Hush Incorporated that I thought you would be perfect for."

I rolled my eyes. Sometimes my older sister could be like my mother, always trying to get me into a real job.

"You know I'm not the corporate type. " I was the personification of the free spirit. Putting myself in an office environment would be like trying to fit a round peg into a square hole.

"Yes, I know, but this is a lead artist position where you would have a lot of creative freedom”. Plus, it's well paid.

Resentment bubbled up inside me. I knew he meant well and cared about me, but I didn't like him highlighting my financial insecurity. I still wasn't making a living from my art and my part-time barista job wasn't supporting me either. Now that Katy had moved out and was living with her husband, I couldn't pay the rent on our apartment, and she hadn't encouraged me to look for a new roommate. That meant Ronny paid the part of the rent I couldn't pay. As much as I appreciated them both and supported her, I hated needing his help. He had been kind enough to describe the situation as him being a patron and that I should pay him with artwork, but we all knew the reality: Katy's little sister couldn't support herself.

"I'll think about it," I said.

I let out a long sigh, as if I didn't believe I would. But, actually, I was going to think about it. No, I wasn't the corporate type, but having a job that could support me would be nice and I owed it to Katy and Ronny to at least make an effort. Plus, it would be something I could put in my work portfolio, so it could be beneficial in the future. At the very least, you could apply for it. It's very possible that I won't get the job. Although many companies needed people with artistic gifts, they didn't usually hire people with free spirits and purple hair, so I could apply and maybe even get an interview, but when I didn't get the job I could at least say I did. I had tried.

"I will submit my application tomorrow. I promise. Now go have fun with your husband so I can go have fun with my date. "Katy laughed.

"Done deal".

I met Stephen at the restaurant at agreed time. As always, he was already there. He smiled in that sexy way of his and kissed me on the cheek as we were led to our table.

"So, have you painted any naked people today? "He asked me after giving the waiter our drink order.

He made a gesture of disinterest with his hand.

"You know, when you've seen a naked man, you've seen everything," I said, jokingly. His eyes narrowed slightly.

"So you think?"

A tingle of anticipation ran down my spine. “Maybe tonight will be the night I find out.” But I didn't say it. I didn't want to seem too eager.

I shrugged nonchalantly.

"Oh I do not know. As far as body parts go, it's not the prettiest."

"I guess not," he seemed to agree.

"They say the size of a man's hands is an indication of the size of his..." I let him fill in the blank.

"It is not a joke. Stephen raised his hand to look at me. I looked at him too, and although his palm was a decent size, her fingers seemed short and stubby. I wondered how much truth there was to that myth and what that meant for Stephen's anatomy."

Our waiter showed up at the table and I quickly scanned the menu to find something to order. As he did so, Stephen's phone rang with a message. He took out the device to answer.

He touched something and then put the phone on the table, looking at me.

"I'm sorry. It's the job. " Stephen was an accountant, which sounded very boring, but in reality he could tell me all kinds of crazy stories about the way the rich spent their money and the nefarious ways in which they tried to hide it or defraud the State.

We ordered dinner and chatted like we normally did, easily and about a variety of topics that made me even more eager to see where this relationship could go. After dinner, we ordered more drinks and some dessert.

While we waited for them to bring it to us, I excused myself to go to the bathroom. I checked my hair and makeup again and put on more perfume. I pulled the bodice of my dress down a little more so that perhaps when I returned to the table Stephen would take the hint about another dessert he could have.

When I returned to the table, he had his back to me, head down, as if he were checking his phone again. I approached him from behind and leaned in with the intention of whispering sweet, or maybe sexy, things in his ear. My eyes looked at the screen of his phone and I noticed that he wasn't responding to work messages. Not unless his job involved having a woman show her breasts to him.

I'm wet and waiting, Stephen. said the text under the photo.

"I'm erect for you," he replied as he took a photo of the bulge he had in his lap.

"Motherfucker! " "He shook himself, turning to look at me as he placed his phone face down on the table. "Seriously, are you texting someone else while you're on a date with me? "I couldn't decide if she was angrier or more humiliated.

He shrugged, looking around. I think he was more worried about me making a scene and embarrassing him than the fact that he was caught texting another woman.

"We're just having fun, right?"

I leaned forward and, as I suspected, his gaze drifted to the hint of cleavage I had just created for him.

"I was ready to have fun tonight, but I don't like dogs. "I stood up, grabbed the ice water, and poured it over his lap, hoping his lump would shrink. Unable to resist, I said, "Your fingers are short and stubby, anyway." "Then, I turned on my heel and left the restaurant as quickly as I could.

As I drove back to my apartment, I decided that I was more upset than hurt, which was a good sign. It meant I still didn't like him very much. I was glad I found out he was cheating on me before I fell into the trap. It was a reminder that a love like my sister and Ronny's was an anomaly. More than half of marriages failed, and there were probably a significant number of those who didn't, who should have. Marital happiness and “happily ever after” was something that jewelers and florists sold.

It was time to go back to my old way of doing things. Go out casually, but nothing serious. I needed to focus on my work, on my career. There was no room in my life for love and it was time to stop looking for it.

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