Chapter Three
Vanek
He approached her hotel room, pausing to adjust the suit. Having never worn one before, he was still getting used to the feeling of wearing so much clothing. When he’d walked into the tailor’s that afternoon on advice from Kylie, he hadn’t expected that this is what the end result would be.
Still, according to her and Corde he looked dashing, and he hoped that Harlow would feel the same way when she opened the door. If she opened the door, he corrected. A part of him still doubted that she was going to show up, that her emotions would have had her already leaving despite his offer to buy her a new float.
Vanek had looked at the prices of those online with some help from Kylie, and the cost was rather steep. Still, considering the penthouse they were staying in, and all the renovations going on to the lower levels of the building to prep it to house more dragons, he felt the military wouldn’t object. After all, if that’s what it took to get him his mate, then it was worth it.
He knocked gently on the door, not wanting to scare her.
“Coming!”
A wave of euphoria-like relief swept across him. She was still there, and wasn’t surprised by his arrival. They’d exchanged information earlier before parting. If he were honest with himself, he’d wondered if she’d given him a fake hotel or room.
The door opened and his jaw nearly hit the floor. Gone was the all-black outfit from the day before. Gone were the suit pants and blazer she’d been in at the mayor’s office. Instead she now wore an elegant strapless gown of deep maroon that showed off plenty of shoulder and a hint of cleavage as well. It curved down around her hips before flaring ever so slightly out, falling just short of the floor, allowing her to walk with ease.
Her short hair was straightened and pinned back with a beautiful engraved clasp of some sort. A necklace of pearls around her neck completed the ensemble. Vanek had told her to dress up, but as she tucked the black clutch under one arm and emerged from the room, he had to admit he’d never expected anything quite like this.
A sugary-sweet smell filled the air as he inhaled her perfume, the aroma intoxicating but not overwhelming. His mouth actually began to salivate slightly as he tasted the air some more. The heady scent made him long to be able to run his lips over her neck, right to the source.
Slow. Move slowly. You can’t push this, he reminded himself. She hated him, or at least extremely disliked him, and was only going on the “date” so that she could get her new float out of the deal. It was up to him to convince her that she wanted a second date.
Taking a nervous breath, he extended his arm to her, bending it at the elbow. Harlow looked at it, looked at him, and then kept walking.
Okay, maybe not yet.
They reached the lobby, the elevator ride having been one of those painfully silent ones as both parties stared at a gray wall and waited for the last chime to sound. They exited and he stepped slightly ahead, pulling the door open to outside. A large luxurious SUV waited at the foot of the stairs for them.
Vanek waited for her at the top of the stairs. There was no railing in the middle, and he could see her trying to figure out if she wanted to move to the side of the steps, or take his arm.
“Okay, give me your arm,” she said, looping her own through it and using him as a support as they descended.
He doubted she truly needed it, but it definitely made it easier, that was for certain. At one point she “stumbled” slightly and her hand tightened around his forearm. Although he barely noticed the increase in pressure himself, Vanek couldn’t help but flex his forearm, letting her feel the solidness of the muscle underneath his ridiculous suit. She needed to know that as his mate, he would always be there to protect her, no matter what.
“Thanks,” she said as they reached the bottom, her hand slipping from his again, albeit slower than perhaps it could have been.
Or was that just his imagination?
Vanek pushed the thought aside and stepped forward to open the rear door for her.
Harlow looked up at him as she slid in, a thoughtful expression on her face. She didn’t say anything. Once she was seated he closed the door and rushed around to the far side, climbing in next to her.
“Where was all this gentlemanly niceness and chivalry during the parade?” she teased as he politely told the driver that they were ready.
The vehicle pulled into motion while he mulled over her question. “I have no good answer to that,” he said at last. “Do you ever get into a place where you’ve got a lot on your mind? Big questions, and you’re trying to figure out what to do? So you go for a walk outside, and the world just seems to be in a fog that you have to push through? As if none of it’s real. Then you feel something calling you, beckoning you. It forces you to chase after it. To follow it.”
Harlow was nodding along as he spoke, and Vanek thought perhaps she was understanding where he was coming from.
“I get that,” she said. “Though I must admit, I’ve never had my calling be to go destroy someone else’s stuff.”
Vanek groaned. “I am so sorry about that. It was not my intention.”
She giggled. “I would hope not. If all you wanted to do was take me to dinner, this makes a much better first impression than caving in the front of my float.”
It was his turn to laugh. “Okay, you have me there. But you wouldn’t have given me the time of day to ask you out if I hadn’t.”
Harlow looked up at him curiously. “What makes you say that? Do I have Ultra-Bitch stamped to my forehead or something?”
Vanek leaned in, pretending to inspect her skin. “Maybe it’s invisible? I think I read somewhere about lights that show up under certain conditions.”
“Do you mean black light?”
“Yeah! That. Maybe we need that to find it.”
“It’s not there,” she said dryly, settling back into her seat.
Vanek took one last long look at her features, catching the way she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. The full, rounded cheeks turned a slightly darker shade of olive under his attention, but nothing further came of it.
The restaurant wasn’t overly far. Both it and Harlow’s hotel were located downtown. If it weren’t for traffic and lights it would have taken them five minutes. Twenty minutes later they angled into the valet parking out front and a restaurant employee came to greet them.
Vanek gave him their information and he nodded briskly.
“Of course, sir. We have one of our best tables reserved for you.”
The dragon-shifter paused, rotating his shoulders to look down on the service employee. The young man, over six-feet himself and no slouch in the gym, was forced to take a step back.
“I was to have the best table tonight,” he rumbled, putting a note of anger into it. “Ensure that it is.”
The young man swallowed, bobbed his head, and quickly dashed ahead to speak to another employee. The other one, an even younger male who was shorter and much skinnier, glanced at Vanek and then seemed to agree with whatever his coworker was saying.
“Right this way, Mr. Vanek.”
“Just Vanek,” he corrected. “This is Harlow.”
It clearly threw the man off that they preferred to be addressed by their first names. He was quick on his feet, Vanek had to give him that, and he recovered well.
“Of course. Vanek, Harlow, let me show you to your table.”
Extending an arm, he allowed Harlow to take it and together the pair entered the restaurant, Moonlight Appetite. The name was odd, but the soft almost blueish lighting, combined with copious white drapery and black flooring with the barest hint of inlaid lighting to show the path, gave the restaurant an outdoor feel reminiscent of sitting outside at midnight.
Everywhere guests sat was pitch black, tables and chairs both. Even the napkins were black, to focus the attention toward those also seated at the table and upward to the sky, where patterns of stars twinkled gently across the ceiling. The major constellations were outlined with little strands of white wire linking the lights. As they were seated Vanek noticed the outside of the menu mimicked the sky above. The names of the constellations were listed beside them, allowing guests to locate the various constellations while they waited for their food.
“Vanek, this is amazing,” Harlow said, her eyes pulled upward almost from the start.
“I…agree,” he said, suitably awed by the impression created. “It’s beautiful. It’s never this bright unless you fly up above the clouds.”
Something in his voice must have caught her attention, because she looked over—and up—at him as they were guided to their table. It was located in the middle of what appeared to be an island, a little river of water burbling around them slowly. It provided a pleasant mix of ambient noise when combined with the night sounds being played throughout the restaurant. It also gave them privacy from the other guests, as no other tables were within at least ten feet of them.
“I hope this is satisfactory, sir.”
Vanek looked at their host. “Absolutely. Thank you.” He dipped a hand into his pocket, grabbing one of the bills there, and discreetly slid it into the man’s hand. “I appreciate you fixing the mixup.”
The host nodded his head in thanks and departed, letting them know their server would be over shortly.
They seated themselves and ordered drinks.
“So, why dinner?”
He peered over the top of his menu at the unexpected question.
“Why not? What do you mean? I wanted to take you out to dinner.”
“You’re just doing this because you feel guilty.” Harlow’s eyes refused to hold his gaze. “Right?”
Vanek shook his head. “No. If I felt guilty I would have simply apologized. What happened was an accident, and while I feel bad, I’m not required to do anything further.”
Her expression clouded over.
“But that’s not who I am,” he continued. “I asked you to dinner because I wanted to talk to you some more. To get to know you.”
Harlow seemed ready to press him more on why, but he was saved from figuring out an answer to that by the arrival of their drinks.
“So what do you want to know about me then?”
Vanek could tell she still didn’t believe he actually wanted to take her to dinner, or that he was truly interested in her, but he decided that would change with time. For now he would have to show her, until his actions proved his intentions.
“Well, who are you? What do you do, besides parades?”
“Ah, the big questions. Well, my name is Harlow Quinn Ryder. I own HQR Parade Floats. We had six floats, touring the country wherever we get hired. Now though, we’re down to five.”
Vanek forced his face to remain blank as he asked his next question. “Touring the country? So does that mean you’re leaving?”
She shook her head, taking a sip of the red wine she’d ordered. “Not yet. Although the city decided they weren’t paying me a good chunk of the money they owe me, they did decide to have a light heart. They are letting me rent the warehouse from them for the next two weeks while I try to figure out what to do with the busted float. It was only supposed to be five days after the parade while everything was cleaned up, but I think guilt finally got the better of them.”
Vanek smiled. It had to be fate. She was to be here for several days past his deadline with Mara. If that wasn’t a sign that it was meant to work out between him and Harlow, then he wasn’t sure what was. Now all he had to do was convince her in the next twelve days that she was his mate.
“We’ll figure out how to fix this situation,” he assured her.
Harlow looked away. “I’m not sure it is fixable. Six floats is usually the absolute minimum. Five just won’t work. I’m screwed without that last one. I’ll probably have to sell the company.”
Vanek leaned forward over the menu, letting his imposing size grab her attention.
“That’s not going to happen, Harlow. I promise you.”
She stared at him for a handful of heartbeats. “You really mean that, don’t you?”
“My word is good,” he assured her. “You’ll get your float.”
Harlow didn’t move for a moment, her crystal-blue eyes locked on to his, unwavering. He gazed right back, trying to see into the depths of her soul, but was blocked by the defenses she had in place. The same couldn’t be true of him, however. His soul was open to her and he invited her to look deep into it. He wasn’t perfect—he’d made his mistakes, some of which he was still paying for now.
But he was honest with her, and meant what he said. She was going to get that float, and her business was going to prosper.
No matter what he had to do.