CHAPTER 10
Scarlet
I didn’t know if I looked as expensive as the plates at the restaurant, but I did look good enough to impress my handsome stranger.
It had taken a while for me to get to the place, but it seemed that Tobias had been waiting patiently for me. Upon seeing me, his jaw had literally dropped, causing a deep but satisfied flush to spread over my cheeks.
His mouth moved motionlessly for a moment before he grew capable of speech. “Wow, Scarlet…You look amazing.”
“Thank you,” I said, smiling as he pulled out a seat for me. “I thought I needed to dress it up a bit, considering this place you picked. Honestly, could you have found a more expensive spot?”
Tobias laughed. “Well, I heard and read some good reviews about this spot, so I wasn’t concerned with the prices.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Must be nice to have the kind of funds to support that kind of attitude.”
Tobias momentarily averted his gaze, seeming embarrassed by my words. I pretended not to notice and instead glanced around at the fancy décor. The place looked more like an art exhibition than a restaurant. In awe, I admired the paintings along the walls and the design of the high ceilings.
And then I noted how unusually empty the place was…
“Is it almost closing time?” I asked.
Tobias grabbed the glass of wine he’d been drinking. “I may have pulled a few strings…” he said, still not meeting my eyes.
I blinked, trying to think just how rich this man had to be in order to ‘pull a few strings’ to turn an expensive restaurant into our own personal dining room.
“I think I need a drink too,” I said.
“Of course.” Tobias raised a hand and a waiter practically appeared out of thin air. “More champagne please, and another glass for my friend.”
“Coming right up, sir.” The waiter bowed and then turned toward me. “Good evening, ma’am.”
I nodded. “Good evening.”
“Shall I bring the menus as well?” the waiter inquired.
“Yes, please,” Tobias said. “So, how was your day,” he asked, finally looking at me once our waiter was gone.
“Weird,” I said after a pause.
Tobias raised his eyebrows. “How so?”
I glanced up at the ceiling, debating whether I truly wanted to say what was on my mind. But then I decided since Tobias Gentry had been honest with me right from the start, he deserved my honesty in return. I cleared my throat and looked across the table at him. “Well,” I began, “…I woke up and ordered breakfast through room service.”
Tobias nodded. “No problem.”
“And the waiter, he said that he’d put everything on your tab. On Mr. Gentry’s tab…”
“Okay…” Tobias said, clearly trying to understand how any of this constituted as weird.
Right that instant, I lost my nerve. I couldn’t go through with admitting to believing he’d been someone else. He was treating me to a fancy dinner at an expensive restaurant, for crying out loud. How could I sit there and nonchalantly admit, “So by the way, I slept with you last night because I thought you were just joking around. I still thought you were my ex, Preston. Looks like the joke’s on me, huh? Ha ha.”
“Is everything all right?”
My eyebrows shot upward at his question. So lost in my thoughts, I’d been oblivious to the grimace that had crept onto my face. “Yeah,” I said, nervously running a hand over my hair.
Tobias stared, not looking convinced. “Well, are you going to tell me what was so weird about your morning?”
I swallowed and shook my head. “No. Never mind. It’s nothing.”
“Scarlet, come on,” he said. “What is it?”
A long silence stretched between us as I desperately tried to think of what to say. Tobias leaned back in his seat, staring at me. He began drumming his fingers on the table, waiting.
My face had grown so hot, I worried steam was coming out my ears. I stared down at the table cloth, my knees bouncing nervously under the table. “I…I just…I was worried that…that I ordered too much,” I said lamely. I cleared my throat, knowing there was no escaping this lie now. All I could do was roll with it. “You know, you’ve been spending a lot on me, and you don’t even really know me.” I pursed my lips together, still staring at the tablecloth and praying that my lie was at least somewhat convincing.
A low chuckle sounded from across the table. I looked up, seeing Tobias smiling. Even in my state of embarrassment, I couldn’t help noting how sexy he looked. Suddenly, the warmth in my face was there for an entirely different reason.
“Is that all?” Tobias asked.
I swallowed again and nodded.
“Well, trust me,” he said, “you don’t have to worry about that.”
I was prevented from having to respond when waiter returned with more champagne, a glass for me, and two menus.
I opened my menu and stared at it for a while, trying to recollect myself. When I managed to glance upwards though, Tobias was still watching me. His eyes trailed downward, admiring the way my dress hugged my upper curves.
My breath hitched in my throat and I struggled to read the menu, attempting to make sense of the fancy dishes and not having a clue what to order.
“What do you suggest?” I asked. “Off the menu?”
He smirked. “Why don’t we just try the house special?” he said, waving the waiter back over.
“Sounds good to me,” I said, closing my menu.
Over the course of our meal, the reviews Tobias had read proved to be accurate. The food was phenomenal. But even though I’d initially been hungry, my appetite for food slowly began to pale in comparison to my appetite for another night with Tobias…
Every time he looked at me, adrenaline rushed through my core. I also felt a secret thrill, now that I knew he truly was the sexy stranger I had only thought Preston was pretending to be. Something about being in Tobias’s presence felt inappropriate, but also exciting and too alluring for words…
“Did you enjoy your meal?” he asked.
“Yes,” I said. “It was delicious.”
We simply stared at each other for a moment, and I got the feeling that like me, he also wasn’t ready for our night to end yet.
A bold and daring side that I didn’t know I possessed coming over me, I began to wiggle in my chair, smiling mischievously as Tobias watched, wondering what I was up to. I raised my leg, my foot reaching across to the seat of his chair. Feeling it, he glanced down, seeing my lacey underwear hanging off the tip of my high heel, delivered straight to his lap.
He gasped slightly as he raised his eyes to meet mine and bit his bottom lip.
He raised a hand in the air, motioning for the waiter. “Check please.”