Adea
Goddess, he was right. Not only was The Iron Pot the prettiest place I’ve ever eaten at but the food was orgasmic. A sweet little Korean woman came out shortly after we arrived and took our order. Shane told me to trust him and ordered for me. Turns out, The Iron Pot is a Korean restaurant!
He ordered Kalbi, Chicken bulgogi, Miso soup, battered cod, and two bottles of strawberry soju. After placing our order, she came back out and put little dishes in the middle of the table.
Shane banned me from touching and trying. When she arrived five minutes after placing our order, I was shocked by how quickly it came out. She placed everything on our table and was out of our hair but not before leaving a pile of napkins.
There’s no way the food could already be cooked. Our table was so full! We had a large one too but almost every inch of it was covered in food and not just that, the number of side dishes doubled. I couldn’t even name half of them.
The entrees sat atop hot iron plates and the sizzle was music to my ears. The aroma made my mouth water and my eyes drank up the vibrant colors placed beautifully in front of me.
“Dig in,” Shane ordered.
I was too focused on the food to check his tone. I picked up a fork and stabbed the kalbi beef. Lifting it to my mouth, I chomped on it, and I saw stars. It was juicy and packed with flavor. It tasted like barbecue but the best that I’ve ever had.
Shane picked up chopsticks and popped a piece of chicken and a piece of beef into his mouth. He groaned as he picked up a few sides from the middle of the table and threw it into his mouth.
I followed him and stabbed what I knew to be kimchi. Biting into it, there was a satisfying crunch. It was fresh and had a small kick to it. I moaned as I scooped up what looked like potato salad with bits of corn in it.
Eagerly, I bit into it. It was cold but oh so good. Shane watched me with a happy expression on my face as I made my way through the food and the sides. When I remembered the miso soup, I sipped the bowl and did a little happy dance. It was so flavorful and the little bits of tofu were perfection.
“This place is amazing,” I groaned.
“I told you, didn’t I?” Shane said with a mouth full of chicken and rice.
“That’s so hot,” I laugh. Shane shrugged his shoulders.
“You having a good time?” He asked.
“Hell yeah. This food is hitting the spot.”
I swear there’s a flash of flecks of gold in his eyes but they were gone as soon as they appeared. Maximus was trying to push forward. I was relieved when I looked into Shane’s eyes and saw nothing but black. A slow sensual smile spread across his lips and I was caught up in the beauty of it. I wanted to scoff. Yes, in the beauty of this twisted creature in front of me.
There was a story I remember reading among the many books in the Half Moon Library. There had been an evil serpent and a beautiful woman in a garden. The serpent had successfully convinced the woman to do something she knew she wasn’t supposed to.
Not only would she be betraying her partner and going against her own morals but in listening to the serpent, she would also be the downfall of her entire race. Is that why he was able to easily manipulate Eve? Was it his beauty that drew her in, that got her to take a bite of the forbidden fruit? If she was under his spell, I imagine she’d let him do anything.
“I can hit all your spots, Ady,” Shane murmured.
His tone was low and seductive, his eyes were filled with lust and promise. I couldn’t help the way my cheeks flushed or the way I averted his eyes. I couldn’t hide the audible gulp that filled the space between us.
“Stop,” I said quietly as I looked to see if the woman was within earshot.
“What? You don’t think I can?” Shane teased.
“Oh, Goddess…”
“No, that’s not my name,” he said as he continued with the teasing.
“I know,” I bristled.
Avoiding his gaze, I looked at the food. Shane’s quiet for a moment. It’s long enough to bring my attention back to him. What I found was a softness in his features I wasn’t ready for.
“I’ve always wanted to take you out. There was never a time when we sat and had a meal together… between the two of us. There had always been someone else present,” Shane said.
“I’m sure you’ve had plenty of dates, Shane,” I said.
I don’t know why he was trying to make it seem like this was his first date. I didn’t want the conversation to get deep again. I wasn’t sure if I could handle another soft side to Shane.
I wanted to keep it light between us. Other than when we’re arguing or when he’s flirting. At least with the flirting, the waters aren’t muddied and I’m not left feeling confused by why I like the Shane in front of me.
I don’t like it when it gets like this. When he looks at me that way. Or when he tells me things that… that show me another side of him. A side that makes me think he’s a good person when in actuality, I know he’s not.
He’s not a good person, he isn’t even a good man. What do I do? How do I keep him at arm’s length? How do I push him off? In this situation, wouldn’t it be better if he was cruel to me or at least suspicious of me?