She purses her lips, but her eyes flicker to the truffles. All six are glossy dark chocolate, rectangular and plump, their flavors hidden beneath the chocolate shell.

“I know you want to,” I say. “And you don’t want to disappoint the Harts. Plus, maybe this time I’ll be convinced. But the only way that’ll happen is if we feed each other the chocolate.”

I hold up the long silk scarf. Jessie’s eyes cloud over. I feel like we’re in the Garden of Eden and I’m offering her the forbidden fruit. Perhaps it wasn’t an apple or a pomegranate, but cocoa.

She eyes the scarf like it’s a snake, but she leans towards me. “Fine. Yes. We’ll do it.”

I smile, feeling elated.

“Together,” she says. She lifts the second scarf.

I swallow, my throat suddenly dry. I reach for the glass of water and take a long drink. Then I set the glass back on the white marble. I lean forward in my chair and move the three matching chocolates to opposite sides of the plate.

“Top first. Then middle, then bottom,” Jessie says.

I nod. For some reason, I feel like I’m fifteen and we’re on our first date. A date before she kissed me and said Gavin’s name. Before I ruined any good feeling she might have for me.

My hands shake as I lift the scarf. Her eyes are solemn and watchful. I try to give her a small smile but I can’t make my lips turn up.

I steady my shaking hands as I wrap the white scarf over her eyes and tie it in place at the back of her head. My fingers brush her silky soft hair and I imagine what it would feel like to run my hands through it as she lays under me on my white bedsheets. I pull the knot tight and run my fingers over the scarf, tracing her cheeks, making sure it’s secure. Her lips are a contrasting bright red against the white fabric. The tip of her tongue darts out and she wets her lips. She has no idea how erotic she looks.

“All good? You can’t see?” I manage to say. I take a deep breath of the chocolate-scented air.

“No, I can’t see.” She holds up the scarf in her hand. “Your turn.”

I lean toward her. She reaches out and feels the air between us. Her hands land on my chest. She pulls away, then softly places them on my face. Her fingers drift gently over my skin. She lingers for a moment longer than necessary, and I watch as she draws in a nervous breath. Then she wraps the scarf over my eyes and pulls the fabric tight.

“Can you see?”