Dating A Cougar by Donna McDonald Page A

lately?”
    “Actually, Casey came to see me at the office twice this week,” Alexa said, looking away from their interested gazes.
    “And . . .?” Lauren prompted, when Alexa drifted off looking lost in memories again.
    With thoughts of Casey short-circuiting her brain, Alexa had to work hard to focus on the conversation.
    “The first time he visited we talked about Jenna and Seth breaking up, but then he ended up asking me to dinner—or rather tricking me into it. I actually had a good time talking to him, but then I made the mistake of kissing him goodbye. Well, it wasn’t a real kiss, just a lip brush, and I only did it because he made me feel sorry for him. I told him I was too old for him. Casey said he was—that he hadn’t—that I—.”
    Alexa stopped trying to talk and simply swore. Not being able to put it in words even for her dearest friends was not a good sign. Seeing Regina and Lauren hanging on her every word, their drinks forgotten, Alexa sighed.
    “Anyway, Casey came back to my office again the next day, and somehow snuck by Sydney, insisting he and I—that we kiss each other just to see what would happen. So. . .”
    “Wait! Please. I need an intermission before you get to the good part,” interrupted Regina desperately. “I need food. Between the alcohol and the titillation, my head is spinning.”
    Alexa laughed at the strain on Regina’s face.
    Lauren sighed in disappointment at having to wait to hear the good part, but knew she might as well study the menu. Both Alexa and Regina took their food very seriously.
    “Well, it’s been a while since one of us had this much to share,” Regina explained. “I don’t want to miss anything.”
    After ordering dinner, Alexa ate more than half of hers before she resumed her story.
    “So back to my story—when Casey came back the second day, he said we should kiss to find out if there was—well, anything worth pursuing. I guess he sort of blackmailed me into it or dared me. I still can’t figure out why I agreed. I started out not really participating, but eventually he—well, he noticed I wasn’t really doing much. I—“ Alexa paused, trying to think of how to describe the moment she kissed him back and lost her grip on reality.
    “The next thing I know I was ripping off his clothes and we were heading to the floor. At least we were until Casey changed his mind and stopped.”
    “Changed his mind?” Regina and Lauren asked in unison, forks pausing mid-air.
    “He wants to be friends first,” Alexa stated flatly, frowning at her plate.
    Regina and Lauren looked at each other. Lauren recovered first.
    “Well, that’s nice isn’t it?” Lauren asked Alexa, who gave her an ‘Are you kidding?’ look in return.
    Regina watched Alexa frown at her half-eaten dinner.
    “Why do you suppose he wants to be friends first, Alexa?” Regina asked. She had her educated suspicions, but Alexa was in no place to hear Casey was already starting to fall in love with her.
    Alexa shrugged in reply. “Casey said he didn’t want to be just a one-night stand—relatively speaking. He kept telling me over and over that he liked me, which is a joke because he doesn’t even know me.”
    When Regina said nothing, Alexa told them the rest. “I took him to Jean’s place for hot wings last night. I was going to tell him over dessert about owning the place, just to see how he reacted to the news, but in the end I couldn’t do it. It felt too mean to flaunt my wealth trying to scare him away.”
    “Are you planning on telling him how successful you are before or after you sleep with him?” Regina asked.
    “Who says I’m going to sleep with him?” Alexa protested.
    Lauren let out a laugh but winced when Alexa frowned at her. “Sorry. I thought you were making a joke.”
    And that made Regina laugh because Alexa was fooling herself if she thought she wasn’t going to end up in bed with Casey Carter. Even Lauren could tell. Casey was pursuing Alexa