The walls are deep and blood red in color to match the upholstered chairs. Black sconces decorate them, providing minimal, warm lighting to the area, and the dark wooden tables wrap everything together in a neat package.
This place is so far out of my comfort zone.
The young man who walked us to our table pulls my chair out for me, and scoots it in once I’m seated.
“Thank you,” I say up to him.
“My pleasure, ma’am. Can I start you with any wine or a cocktail this evening? I can get that before your server comes by your table.”
“A bottle of pinot noir. How does that sound, Piper?”
I’m not a wine drinker… at all. Which is ironic, considering my Italian heritage, but I’m a liquor girl, yet I don’t have it in me to tell him. I know instantly that I’m too much of a woman for him. Maybe that’s shitty of me to assume, but I’m usually a good read of people.
“Anything you’d like is fine.” I open the menu and take a look.
“Pinot it is,” he tells the host.
“Right away.”
He runs off, leaving us to ourselves.
“So… what is good here? I’ve never been before.” I peek at him over my menu, and he is staring intently at his. “Are you all right?”
“Yes. I am.” He smiles a bit. “I’m sorry. I’m just a little nervous.”
Poor guy. “I don’t bite. There’s no reason to be nervous. We’re just getting to know each other, right? Having a meal?”
“You’re just really pretty. Way prettier than the picture my mom sent me of you.”
I crinkle my nose. “Thanks… I think.”
“Wait. No. I’m sorry. That was stupid. That’s not what I meant.” He adjusts his glasses a bit. “I just meant… Jesus. Oh thank God, the wine is here.”
“A little liquid courage never hurt anyone.”
A few moments later, our wine is poured, our food is ordered, and we are left alone again.
I take a small sip from my glass and fight the physical urge to make a face. It’s so bitter and so dry; I honestly hate it.
“Mmm,” Ryan says under his breath. “That’s delicious. We may need another bottle of this.”
No. Please no.
“Mmm hmm.”
“So, tell me what you do. My mom told me briefly, but I’d like to hear it from you.”
He has mentioned his mom more than once since we’ve been here. I feel like that’s a red flag in a Cosmo magazine somewhere.
“I am an administrative assistant at Lennox Publishing. Basically, I just do any and everything the CEO needs, and that ranges from basic secretary work, to prepping documents, etc. It’s not revolutionary work, but I do enjoy it for the most part.” I take another small sip of the wine, once again trying so hard not to make a face.
“So you’re like… a receptionist?”
You know that slow blinking white man GIF? That’s me. Right now.
“No, I’m not a receptionist.”
“Christ. I’m sorry, Piper, I didn’t mean that to be as offensive as it sounded. I’m just trying to make conversation.” He takes a large chug of his wine.
Don’t take his head off, Pipes. He’s clearly nervous and that means you’re an intimidating badass bitch. Score!
I give him a small smile. “It’s fine. No worries at all. It’s easy to confuse the two.” I scrub my hands down my skirt, smoothing out the fabric. “So, what do you do?”
He opens his mouth to speak, but stops abruptly when our server appears by our table.
“I have a Macallan on the rocks for the lady,” he says, as he places it down on the table in front of me.
I absolutely did not order a fifty-dollar glass of alcohol, even though whiskey is my favorite thing on the planet.
“We didn’t order this,” Ryan adds in.
“No, you didn’t. This is courtesy of a gentleman across the room. He asked that we bring it to the lady and send him the bill, as well as your entire table bill.”
“What?” I look around, trying to focus in on the tables across the darkened room.
It doesn’t take long before an electric current courses up my back when my eyes connect with another pair directly across from us.
Nathanial Lennox holds up a matching glass of Macallan and gives me a smile.
I’m angry. I’m so immediately angry for a couple of reasons.
1: He’s here. Why is he here?
2: Why would he send me such an expensive drink and try to pay our entire bill? I’m on a date!
3: My body instantly responds to his gaze on me. It feels like warm hands caressing my skin, and my heart sinks into my stomach.
4: He did all of this, caused this reaction in me… all while there is a blonde-haired bimbo with huge tits hanging all over him at the dinner table.
“Do you know him?” Ryan asks.
“I do. He’s my boss.” I toss my napkin to the table from my lap and look up at the server. “Please send this back to the gentleman and tell him I won’t accept this, and we won’t be accepting his offer to pick up our bill.”
“It has already been taken care of, ma’am,” he says and places the drink back down on the table. “Your entrees should be ready any moment now. I’ll be back with those soon.”
He turns away from us and exits the dining area.
“Well, that’s an interesting turn of events. Should we go talk to him?” Ryan says.
“No.” I answer quickly. “There’s no need. I get enough of him at work. Truly, I’d like a break. He can be a bit… overbearing.”
“Uh, well, I think you’re getting a bit more of him. He’s heading over here.”
“What?” I whip my head around and come face-to-face with a suit-covered abdomen. My nose even collides. “Oh shit. Oh my God.” I place my hand on my heart, having just had the life scared out of me.
“Easy on the suit, Ms. Kingston. These are expensive to dry-clean.” He chuckles a bit and I look up to his face, seeing his sparkling teeth behind the smile.
“You scared me. I didn’t expect you to be standing like… right here when I turned around.” I turn back to Ryan. “Ryan, this is my boss, Nathanial Lennox. Mr. Lennox, this is my date for the evening, Ryan Russo.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Lennox, and it’s truly unnecessary for you to pay our bill tonight.”
Nathanial holds a hand up to stop him. “It’s already taken care of. Piper is an important member of my staff. It’s the least I can do.”
I could be making it up in my own head, in fact, I hope I am, but I swear I can feel him ever so slightly running his thumb across the skin of my back. It could have been by accident, it could have been on purpose. Either way, it makes me shiver from head to toe.
“I have some entrees for the table,” our server says from behind Nathanial, and I could leap up and kiss him for breaking the awkward tension that was certainly about to thicken.
“Ah, well, that’s my cue. I’ll leave you two lovebirds to your meal,” he says with that arrogant, asshole tone I know so well. Anyone else would think he was being genuine, but I know better.