The town car Remi sent for me pulled up to a busy restaurant. It was my choice of restaurant based off what Remi said he wanted. We settled on Italian and I told him this place was supposed to be great, though I had never been to it myself.

 

 “So we can do it together,” he told me, his tone of voice as suggestive as ever. Even as I slipped on the little black dress with pointed sweetheart neckline and gold embroidery, I tried to remind myself this wasn’t a date or anything remotely close to one. I had repeated, “this is not a date,” over and over as I pulled on and adjusted the lace bolero.

 

I stepped out onto the curb in front of the restaurant and instantly felt confident in my wardrobe choice for the night. I knew it was an upscale, four-star restaurant but scoping out the crowd let me know I fit in perfectly. I scanned the crowd for Remi, who came out from a small group of people with a wide smile. It was half-genuine and half-smug. He always found new ways to confuse me.

 

“Good evening,” he greeted me.

 

 “Good evening, Mr. Parker.” I smiled.

 

Without thinking, I extended my hand so he would take it and lay a small kiss at the top. The two of us laughed before turning and walking into the restaurant. It wasn’t until we were inside that we let go of each other’s hands.

 

Remi ordered one of the most expensive bottles of wine, before looking across the table at me. I saw him admiring me. I could practically see the compliment on his lips, but he held back. Part of me was thankful for him showing restraint, but another side of me felt a little disappointed. I remembered the look in his eye when he complimented me before we were together for the night and my stomach tumbled. I was already nervous and thought it wasn’t a good idea to become prey to my wandering thoughts. Thankfully, the server was quick to bring us the wine.

 

“We’ll take a few more minutes, thanks,” Remi dismissed the server politely.

 

I took a sip of the wine and nodded in approval. “So you’re in the mood for taste testing?”

 

Remi nodded, “Under your advisement.”

 

“Okay, let’s see how adventurous you really are.”

 

Remi leaned in and didn’t miss a beat, “Oh, I’m plenty adventurous.”

 

I ignored what he said in favor of catching our server’s attention.

 

“May I help you, Miss?” He had a hint of an Italian accent.

 

“Yes, we’d like to get started with the Zucca and Polpo Antipasti.”

 

“Will that be all, miss?”

 

“For now,” I smiled. I turned back to look at Remi who looked a bit horrified. I had to cover my mouth to keep from bursting out in laughter. I knew exactly why he had that look on his face so I took it upon myself to reassure him, “It’s delicious and you’ll love it.”

 

“I’ve never eaten anything like–”

 

“Well, isn’t that the point?”

 

“Guess so,” Remi mumbled before leaning in. I saw the smirk playing at his lips and already knew he was gearing up to say something inappropriate. “I’m down to taste plenty of new delicacies of yours. I mean, with you.”

 

I took a long, slow sip of my wine before looking around at the restaurant. I did everything to avoid eye contact with Remi because I knew that would only make the knots in my stomach tighten. I admired the look of the restaurant; it was very sleek and clean. I liked the large overhead lightshades that looked like big circles covering the ceiling. Remi and I were sitting in a corner booth with a window view. The chairs at the center of the dining room were upholstered in a crisp white fabric. Everything was very uniform and minimalist, but they did it well. I wondered what the kitchen looked like. That was always what my first thought whenever I went out to eat.

 

The server arrived with the dishes and I couldn’t help but laugh at the look on Remi’s face. “That’s not even the octopus,” I informed him.

 

“I can tell,” he said. “But why did you order us a bouquet of flowers? Is this a decoration or something?” He leaned in to observe it closer with squinted eyes and then glared at me. I hadn’t stopped laughing at him the entire time.

 

I reached out and arranged some of the food on a fork before turning it over to Remi. He just stared at me.

 

“Take it,” I urged him.

 

He cautiously reached out and looked carefully at the food before putting it in his mouth. The moment he closed his mouth and tasted it, I saw his eyes light up. “Oh,” he said, mouth still full. I held up my hand with eyes wide to tell him to wait. He gulped down the bite.

 

“The pretty garden-looking thing is actually really good!”

 

“Garden-looking thing,” I repeated.

 

I found it funny how little exposure he had to this kind of food. He grew up with a wealthy, albeit absent, father and was now wealthy in his own right. I figured he had to frequent four- and five-star restaurants, but perhaps he went to safer bets. He likely never deviated from the same few items. Maybe I was a bit of a food snob, but having grown up wanting nothing more than to be a renowned chef I figured it came with the territory.

 

“So now the octopus,” he said hollowly.

 

“That’s not even a weird thing to eat,” I defended, “Besides, didn’t you just learn your lesson?”

 

“What’s my lesson? That eating out with you is surprising, but tasty?”

 

His words dripped with the rather crass innuendo he had just wormed into his question. I wanted to tear my eyes away from him, but was finding it difficult. Normally, I would have been totally repulsed by something like that, but not this time. Remi was playful about it and now that I had gotten to know a different side of him, I knew he wasn’t actually that asinine. I briefly wondered if he was different when he had sex with other women than the way he was with me. I took a sip of wine to wash away such a thought.

 

“Just try it,” I instructed.

 

Remi took his fork and placed a small bite in his mouth. His eyes didn’t quite light up like they had with the Zucca, but I could tell he liked it. “Okay, from now on I won’t make faces about whatever you order,” he declared.

 

“I guess you did learn your lesson,” I told him with a smile. I quickly held my hand up, “Don’t even go there.”

 

Remi laughed and stuffed a larger bite of food into his mouth. The two of us didn’t take long to finish off the plates and soon the server was back to take another order from me. “We’ll take an order of the Gnocchi, please. We’ll follow that up with the Agnello and Anatra. Thank you.” The server took the menus from us and walked off to place the order. 

 

“I have no idea what you just ordered except for the Gnocchi,” Remi said with a smile. He looked quite confused, but at least he wasn’t acting like I had just ordered something completely repulsive and unheard of for us. I finished my glass of wine and he wasted no time in filling my glass before adding some to his own.

 

“I’m sure you’ll like it all,” I told him confidently.

 

“I do like it all,” Remi told me. It was distinctly a compliment directed toward me. There was no way he would have said it in the tone of voice he did if it was truly about food. “A lot,” he added before taking a long sip of his wine without taking his eyes off me.

 

I took a deep breath and decided it was time to shoot down his advances once and for all. My heart was beating fast and I had a ball of nerves in us stomach that threatened to ruin my appetite. “I’m just your chef and culinary advisor,” I told him with a nervous laugh.

 

“Well you weren’t just my ‘culinary advisor’ last night,” he said so quietly I could barely hear him.

 

I flushed red. He wasn’t being brash or even playful. He sounded and looked serious, and that was what scared me more than anything. I didn’t know what to make of it. Plus, I had been working so hard at moving past that one night of passion and stay on the professional path. If Remi was looking at me as more than his chef, I was in trouble. Just as my panic began to rise, the server stepped up to our table to save me from the awkward moment.

 

“How is everything?”

 

“Delicious! We’re debating ordering another item, but we’ll need a couple minutes to decide. May we see your dessert menu as well?”

 

“Yes, of course. Is there anything I can get for you sir?”

 

“We’ll take some more water,” Remi replied.

 

The server excused himself and rushed off for the pitcher of ice water to refill our glasses. I hoped we could continue to have a nice dinner together. If Remi could bite his tongue back from his suggestive comments, then it could actually be possible. Aside from his remarks and a couple of looks he gave me, I was having a great time with him. I watched him gulp down about half the glass of water before refilling our glasses of wine.

 

“And that’s the last of it,” he announced, shaking the empty bottle.

 

I pressed my hands to my hot face, “Oh, my. We drank a lot.”

 

“Is it that bad? I don’t think so. How about you pick one more entrée and a dessert for us to share? I could still go for more.”

 

“There is something else I wanted to try,” I admitted with a small smile. My eyes lit up with excitement. I hoped he would like it. So far the restaurant had delivered quite tasty dishes so my expectations were rather high.

 

“Have we made a decision?”

 

“We have,” I told the waiter. “We will be ordering one more entrée, a Primi, and we’ll follow that up with a shared dessert. We’d like one order of the Cappelleti and for our dessert we’ll each have the Piccolo.”

 

As soon as the server left, Remi leaned in, “What’s Piccolo?”

 

I giggled softly, not because I was teasing him, but because I found it endearing that he looked so embarrassed to ask me. I could tell he was rather concerned about ordering a desert he couldn’t even recognize.

 

“Oh, don’t worry, it’s just a selection of six small Italian pastries,” I filled him in. “The chef selects the pastries, but I’ve never had one I didn’t like!”

 

 “You really are a foodie.” Remi grinned.

 

“I’d hope so. I am a chef, after all.”

 

“And a damn good one at that.”

 

The knots in my stomach exploded and filled me with giddiness and nerves. I clutched my stomach, but quickly played it off so I didn’t invite any questions from him. I turned to look out the window because I needed a break from looking at him. Not only were his eyes captivating with a deep stare, he was too devastatingly handsome. It was impossible to ignore how attractive the man was and now that I had spent the night with him, I only found him that much more alluring.

 

Of course, it certainly helped to have seen a more interesting side to him than the persona he always adopted around others. Even now throughout dinner he was a cross between the open and real man from the previous night and the cocky playboy type I initially knew him to be.

 

We finished up dessert and Remi paid. I felt awkward about it, but he made it clear that it only made sense for him to pay. I let it go, but it was also clear in the expression on my face that I wasn’t totally relaxed about the situation. We made our way toward the front door through a thick crowd. My heart leapt to my throat when I felt his hand on the small of my back as he walked out behind me. It could have meant nothing, but my mind was too much of a jumbled mess to figure it out. By the time we were out on the curb, Remi’s limousine was already there and waiting for the two of us.

 

“I can’t believe you really go around in a limo,” I commented.

 

“What’s wrong with a limo?”

 

“It’s just so cheesy,” I told him. “And with your rep–” I stopped mid-word. I didn’t want to make him feel like his dad did. I turned to look at him, apology written all over my face.

 

“Nah, I get it,” he told me. His mood didn’t change and I was thankful for that, though I did make a mental note to watch my words. “I actually don’t go around in a limo every day. I usually use the town car, but I thought the limo would be nice for tonight.”

 

I was surprised about the thought he put into this. Then a realization hit me like a ton of bricks, “This night sure seems a lot like a date considering it isn’t one.”

 

 “It’s definitely not a date. You’re just my food advisor, remember?”

 

“Culinary advisor,” I corrected.

 

Remi laughed and nodded in agreement. He guided me into the limo before walking around to get in from the other side. He told the driver we were heading home and then closed the privacy divider, which made me even more nervous. I was feeling a bit tipsy from all the wine we had over dinner and was quite giddy. I never wanted to let my inhibitions go so much, but Remi had bested me again. I had to admit he was charming and no matter how much I wanted to ignore my feelings, they were at the surface and growing stronger by the minute. Still, I needed to keep my head on straight. A fancy dinner and a flashy car couldn’t get the best of me—even though that wasn’t what would do me in.

 

“You’re great,” Remi told me quietly as he moved a bit closer, “At what you do. You’re great at many things.”

 

He was looking at me like he had the previous night after our kiss got heated. I gulped. It was too hard to ignore that look in his eye and the rising temperature of my body. I breathed out and fanned myself as if the car suddenly started blasting the heater at full force.

 

“I try. I mean, thanks. It’s my-my passion,” I stuttered nervously.

 

“Well, your passion is quite something,” he whispered suggestively.

 

He was staring at my lips. He had somehow managed to move closer to me without me noticing. I gulped again and looked away, but it did nothing to calm me down. It was still extremely hot in the back of the limousine and my heart was beating so fast the driver could probably hear it. I couldn’t get carried away again.

 

“I, uh,” I muttered dumbly. My mouth went dry and I felt my palms grow sweaty. My face felt like it was one fire. I was sure he could see the crimson color blushing across my cheeks.

 

He moved in closer and ran his thumb over my forehead, drying off the sweat that had formed. I felt embarrassed, confused, and turned on. It was all too much and it was starting to get to me. Feeling my head start to spin, I fanned myself furiously before dropping my head back against the headrest with eyes closed. I felt Remi move in closer to me and now our legs were touching. His hand trailed down the side of my face and brushed a strand of hair behind my ear. If ever there was a moment to stop this from going further it was then. But deep down, I didn’t want it to stop. This was a mess, but for once I wanted to be messy and just enjoy the moment.

 

I let out a soft whimper and leaned into his hand.

 

I shook as he pressed his lips gently to my cheek. This was it. I wasn’t telling him to stop even though I knew the more this went on, the less I’d find it in myself to put an end to it. We already slipped up once and I had told myself that was the only time. But now I wanted him so badly I could feel it coursing throughout my body. I felt his lips at the corner of mine. His breath was hot against my skin.

 

“It’s so hot in here. It’s too hot,” I whined as I felt my chest flush with heat.

 

“Here, let me help you with that,” Remi muttered against my lips.

 

I felt the air hit my legs as he pushed up the bottom of my dress. My mind went crazy as I tried to make sense of where this was going. It was all moving so fast and my mind was already a blur of jumbled up feelings and thoughts. I shuddered as he placed his hand on my thigh. In a flash he left my side and was kneeling down in front of me. I sucked in a nervous breath as he grabbed my knees and pushed them apart, exposing the crotch of my panties.

 

“Here?” I whispered in a near panic.

 

“As good of a place as any,” he smirked from between my legs.

 

Slowly, he ran his hands up my thighs until he was pushing my dress up over my hips. He pressed his lips to the inside of one of my knees. Tiny goosebumps prickled up my thighs as I felt him plant a trail of kisses. I already felt so overwhelmingly hot and now it was becoming unbearable. But I didn't want him to stop, even if that was the smart choice. This was beyond inappropriate and I knew I needed to put an end to it. But every voice inside of me screamed, “just a little longer.”

 

 I dropped my hand back to grip the top of the seat. If I had already gone this far I might as well enjoy the rest of the ride. As much as I knew I shouldn't, the lust coursing through my veins was too much to ignore. I told myself I would never have sex with him again, but that promise was tossed out the window as quickly as it was made.

 

Remi pulled the waistband of my panties with his teeth before taking it between his fingers and pulling them down my legs. I twisted my body a bit but didn't resist him forcing my thighs further apart before draping each one over his shoulders. The instant I felt his hot breath between my thighs I lost it. I gasped sharply before promptly slapping my hand over my mouth. I couldn't believe this was happening. I looked out the window to see people on the busy city sidewalks just as he reached out his tongue to give me a playful swipe. I prayed to high heaven that nobody could see inside the deeply tinted windows.

 

 Remi puckered his lips and pressed them to the top of my mound before swiftly licking up my lips with the tip of his tongue. He did it a few more times, quite delicately at first. It was just enough to make me tremble and it took every ounce of willpower I had not to make too much noise. He didn't take long to press his face into me and slide his tongue along my clit, licking in circles.

 

“Fuck,” I let out a muffled cry from behind my hand.

 

He had just started and it already felt so damn good. At that moment, there wasn’t a single reason in the world I could think of to give this up. He closed his mouth around my outer lips and sucked as he worked his tongue up and down. He moved in circles and strokes, alternating between fast and slow. My hips lifted up off the seat as I pressed myself against his mouth. Then he reached up and pushed a finger inside of me, forcing my palms to slap and claw at the leather seats.

 

He knew how to flick and swipe and tease just enough to make me a withering mess. It didn’t take long for me to instinctively roll against him, thrusting against his face as he kept working me. Just as the unmistakable orgasm coiled up inside of me and was ready to explode, the limousine came to a full stop.

 

“Shit,” he pulled back and said in disappointment.

 

My heart dropped as I hastily shoved my dress back down, accidentally smacking Remi on the head. “I’m sorry!”

 

He laughed and frowned in mock pain. Then he picked up and showed me the panties he had tossed aside. He wiggled his eyebrows and stuffed them into his pocket before wiping his mouth and sitting up.

 

“Time to go inside,” he said, reaching across to open the limo door for me. 

 

The two of us walked inside in a rush and, for the first time, I was absolutely in love with Remi’s semi-private elevator. We rushed inside and he pushed me up against the wall, kissing me fiercely as he shoved his hand under my dress to rub between my legs. We breathed heavily against each other as I wrapped a leg around him, enjoying every second of him using his fingers to tease me. He kissed me hard as his fingers pushed inside of me. I moaned into his mouth and he thrust his hips forward. It was wild and steamy and totally out of the realm of anything I had ever done.

 

The elevator dinged and opened up to his foyer. Remi pulled me inside and let my body slam into his, holding my face with both hands to kiss me again. It was a sloppy kiss fueled by lust and want. He walked back until he was close to the wall and I jumped on him, sending him stumbling back to the wall. We kissed and touched any part of each other we could reach.

 

 I moved my hips against him, feeling the hard bulge under his slacks rub against my bare slit. I stood up and quickly undid his belt and pants to pull his hardness out of his boxers. I gripped him and started pumping, eventually sliding him between my legs with a smile. I jumped on him again and rubbed my wetness against his bare shaft, letting loud moans fall freely from my mouth. He groaned throatily and thrust his hips, panting against my neck.

 

He nibbled along my neck and then my ear before grunting, "Fucking hell, Evelyn."

 

I bit back a smile as I pushed him back just enough so I could stand and walk toward the living room, holding both of his hands. I walked backward and tripped over the rug leading into the living room. He caught me with a laugh, but then eased me onto my back, kicking off his pants and boxers right after. We hadn’t even made it into the actual living room and he was already on top of me, rubbing his bare manhood against my wet lips again.

 

He kissed me so hard it hurt, but I didn’t care. I wanted him—all of him. Lust and instinct had completely taken over my mind and body. I lifted my hips and felt the head of his shaft push against my opening. I held my breath as he pulled back to look into my eyes. The heat between us was so great that if what we were doing hadn’t felt so amazing, it would have been unbearable.

 

“I want to fuck you so badly,” Remi grumbled.

 

“So fuck me,” I told him, my tone a lot stronger than usual.

 

He pushed his head harder against my opening, but was still careful not to penetrate me. He reached down and grabbed himself to start stroking as he moved the tip up and down my wet lips. I quivered every time he pressed it against my clit. The excitement from everything immediately bubbled over and my entire body tensed up and shook as the orgasm rushed through me.

 

“Already,” Remi muttered, sounding quite pleased with himself.

 

 “Oh shut up and just fuck me already,” I hissed as I grabbed the back of his neck.

 

I kissed him only to pull back again and gasp when I felt his entire length push inside of me. My eyes shot wide open. He was groaning with every breath. He kept thrusting in and out of me, scooping up my ass to thrust deeper inside. I reached up and clutched and clawed at his shoulders, sitting on his thighs to bounce on his hard staff. He buried his face in my breasts and licked before kissing me again. I rode him hard and fast, eventually pushing him down to his back to be on top.

 

He yanked the top of my dress down just enough to completely expose my heaving breasts. He reached up and ran his thumbs over my budding nipples before reaching back down and holding onto my hips, thrusting to match my rhythm. We moved faster and got louder until we were frantic and sweaty. I felt my body tense again and the second orgasm slammed into me. My muscles clenched and I was so lost in the intense pleasure that I almost missed his warning.

 

“I’m- about- to- come,” he managed brokenly between his panting breath.

 

I quickly swung my leg over and got off, wrapping my hand around his shaft and stroking him with a huge smile. In an instant his orgasm exploded just seconds after I climbed off of him. I got him some tissue to clean up with and then sat back on the rug, looking up at the ceiling until I managed to catch my breath. As soon as my racing heart settled down, I looked at him with a genuine and warm smile. He smiled back at me, making me feel warm inside.

 

“You’re not the guy I thought you were,” I told him.

 

“And what guy was that?”

 

“Your reputation.”

 

“Ah,” he said. He didn’t sound down about it. He seemed to understand and didn’t blame me one bit; but past that, I couldn’t tell what he was thinking or feeling.

 

Still feeling uncomfortably warm, I got up to get a drink of water. I haphazardly adjusted my dress before walking to the kitchen. I heard Remi walk in after me, dropping his keys and phone on the counter before going to his bedroom. I grabbed a glass from the cupboard and filled it up, drinking the entire thing in one gulp before refilling it. I turned to lean against the cool steel of the refrigerator and sip the water slowly, enjoying the city view outside the window. The glittering lights looked beautiful. 

 

Then I heard the chime of a text message; it was Remi’s phone. I glanced down at the screen without thinking and saw the name ‘Stacy’. Curiosity got the best of me. I leaned in and read the preview of the text.

 

“You can’t deny the night with me was…”

 

My heart sank.

 

The weight of the mistake I had just made settled into my stomach like a burning prickly bag of thorns. I shakily put the glass of water down and swallowed the lump in my throat. Maybe he was just a playboy after all. Maybe I had been the biggest fool of them all for allowing myself to get this carried away even though I knew better—and I did it twice. I sucked in a deep breath and fought back the hot tears threatening to spill from my eyes.

 

I stood up straight and made a pact with myself to stay professional with him for real this time. It wasn’t for the sake of my job.

 

It was for the sake of my feelings.

 

I refused to be burned by an asshole like him. I deserved better than that.