Chapter Thirteen
Xander (Tuesday)
Excitement buzzed through me as I got ready for my date with Lila. No, not date, dinner. Business dinner.
I needed to keep reminding myself of that if I was going to get through it with my dignity intact. As I finished doing up my tie and examined my professional appearance in the mirror, I realized that while I looked the part, I didn’t totally feel it.
For one thing, I probably should’ve invited Michael along. But as soon as Lila had mentioned that her brother couldn’t make it, I decided to keep the dinner a secret. I couldn’t stop myself from wanting to spend time alone with her, however hard I tried. I knew that nothing could ever happen, but still I wanted to get to know her better.
Plus, I still felt like we had some unfinished business from Saturday, and I wanted to know more.
As my driver honked outside, I checked my watch and smiled. When I spoke to Lila on the phone yesterday, I suggested the earliest time possible, but it still felt like I’d been waiting forever. It was time to go, and I couldn’t wait.
I knew Lila’s address. I’d had one of my employees bike over the contract to her, after all. But I didn’t realize what a bad neighborhood she lived in until the car started to weave in and out of some very sketchy-looking lanes. The driver even locked the door as we got to what could only be described as a terribly deprived area. Of course, I knew she and Kyle didn’t have a lot of money, but this was bad.
They had come out of foster care and into poverty. If I hadn’t gotten an inheritance, that could’ve been me. The reality check hit me hard in the face.
But then all that vanished as the car pulled up outside her apartment, and I saw her standing in the doorway in the gorgeous, long red dress I’d sent over to her.
I knew it was risky to make such a bold move, one that made the entire evening feel like a date, but as I saw her, I knew I’d done the right thing. She looked incredible, absolutely wonderful, and also like she’d fit right in with the restaurant I’d picked for us. Maybe it was an oversight to go for such a fancy Italian place, but when I’d booked the table, I’d been thinking only about impressing her.
Lila didn’t belong on the sidewalk in that dress. She should’ve been on the pages of a fashion magazine.
“Hey.” I leaned out of the window with a big, beaming smile on my face. “You look wonderful.” She smiled awkwardly, unsure of how to take my compliment, so I instantly changed tactics. “Come on, get in.”
She swayed in a way that was probably more seductive than she intended and slid into the seat next to me. As the driver took off, I kept glancing at her out of the corner of my eye, unable to drag my gaze away. She honestly looked stunning: natural and made up all at once, much prettier than anyone I’d ever spent time with before. And the best part was she didn’t even know it.
This was going to be harder than I’d first thought.
“So, where are we going tonight?” Lila asked me with a wobble in her voice. “I mean, I’m very dressed up – thank you for that by the way.”
“Oh, it’s fine; you look lovely.” We were being awkward around each other, as neither of us knew exactly what to do. “Nice.”
“I’ll make sure to send it back to you after I’ve had it cleaned.”
“No, don’t do that!” I insisted. “I got it for you. I want you to keep it.” It would probably be the most expensive thing she owned, and in a weird way, I kinda liked that. It meant she’d think of me every time she looked at it, which she’d probably do quite often.
Before we could get into any kind of debate about that, the driver stopped the car and let us out at the restaurant. Lila gasped as she slid out onto the street and looked up at where we were about to eat, but I tried not to get too worked up about that. She’d love it inside, wouldn’t she?
I couldn’t understand what I was doing wrong. Michael always insisted that flashing his cash at women got him lots of interest, but I felt like I’d done the wrong thing. Of course, Lila wasn’t necessarily like the women Michael went out with, but I still felt wrong footed.
“Come on, let’s go in.”
I touched the small of her back as I guided her inside, feeling butterflies flap around my stomach like crazy. This was bizarre. I was like a teenager with a crush. This had to be only about business – it was the only way – but already it felt like anything but.
Just to add to that, the waiter must have assumed that we were on a date because he sat us at a gorgeously romantic table, complete with flowers and candles, leaving us sitting opposite one another staring into each other’s eyes. If this was a date, I would’ve been on form.
“So, what do you recommend?” Lila buried her head into the menu, doing her best to ignore the atmosphere. “Have you been here before?”
“The… the Carbonara is great,” I wasn’t even sure what I was saying, I was just speaking for the sake of it. “The Calzones are, too.”
I needed to pull it together, to keep my cool. As someone came over to take our order, I did my best to get back in the zone. I ordered a good wine and managed to just about get some food organized without totally falling apart. I was a mess, and I felt like Lila could see it.
“What did you think about the contract?”
She glanced down at her hands, as if she needed a list to remember what she had to say about it all, but unfortunately, nothing was coming to mind. “Actually, this is embarrassing.” Her whole face flushed red to highlight her point. “Kyle gave me a load of questions to ask, but I can’t remember any of them.”
“Oh, it’s a shame he isn’t here,” I lied through my teeth. “But maybe we can set up an official meeting with Kyle and Michael later in the week?”
“Sure.” She let out a deep breath and her shoulders relaxed. “Yeah, that sounds good. It was too much pressure for me, anyway.”
As she smiled up at me, looking up from under her eyelashes, my whole chest warmed up. There was something there, something behind her gaze, and it made me feel all kinds of things. My heart fluttered, electricity zinged right through my body, and it was so difficult not to lean across and kiss her right now. There was an intense chemistry between us, sizzling and darting, and if I didn’t break it soon, we wouldn’t be able to resist it.
“And, here are your drinks.”
Luckily, the waiter did it for me because I wasn’t sure I was strong enough to do so. This was going to be a very long evening.
***
We were laughing, exchanging funny stories, and connecting in a way that I’d never experienced before. I didn’t know what to do. After our tiny bit of talk about the contract, which hadn’t landed us anywhere, work hadn’t come up at all. This was more date-like than any real date I’d ever been on, and it was driving my emotions crazy.
“So then, he fell right off the stool and the old woman screamed.” She was so adorable as she laughed that my heart melted. Her whole face lit up and she looked even more beautiful, which I would have thought impossible right up until the moment it happened. “It was hilarious.”
“You guys are awesome,” I mused as we stood up from our seats, the night coming to a very sad end. “I’m so shocked that you haven’t made it further before now.”
She remained silent as we strolled outside, clearly thinking over things. But as the fresh air hit our faces, her lips loosened once more. “You know, this might be the wine making me say things Kyle told me not to, but we do want to sign your contract. We know it’s not designed to screw us over, and if I’m totally honest, we want to work with you.”
Thank God. I mean, I guessed as much, she never would’ve called me otherwise, but it felt good to hear her say that. “You know, I opened the record label because I love music, not because I’d ever want to screw anyone over. I know that’s what a lot of people do, but not me. I just want to get good music out there – and that’s what you and Kyle offer.”
She stepped closer to me, and the electric atmosphere intensified. I became overwhelmed with feelings, certain we were about to kiss. I didn’t even care that it was probably very wrong, this was too tempting, too difficult to ignore. I couldn’t stop even if I wanted to.
But then she shook her head, a little too violently, and she broke the moment. “Thank you,” she rasped, clearly drained by the feelings zinging through her, too. “I do appreciate that.”
“You know, you guys should come in on Thursday and record some more songs.” I gulped down my pride, trying to get things back on track. Lila hadn’t kissed me; she was the one being smart here. I was the one who was a slave to my emotions.
“Are you sure? That would be awesome!” She sounded excited, but as our eyes connected, I could see a sorrow there. She wanted to kiss me, she had feelings for me, as well, but she was trying her best to do the right thing.
And she was right. I did have my rule. I shouldn’t be getting involved with anyone I worked with. I needed to keep my head on straight.
“Yep, I’ll set it up.”
All the way back to Lila’s apartment, I tried to keep my inner turmoil under control. If we took that step, we’d potentially damage her career before it even started, which wasn’t what I wanted at all. But if we didn’t, I felt like I might just damn well drive myself insane.
Did I have to like her so much? Was it so impossible for me to switch these feelings off?
We said our goodbyes, and I made the driver wait while I watched her walk inside. I acted like it was all for her safety, but that was pointless since she was way more accustomed to this area than me. It was all about watching her leave, knowing she could never be mine.
Still, she had what it took to be a star – of that I was totally certain. I had the feeling that she was going to take the world by storm, that they wouldn’t know what hit them. It was going to be hard to watch others get to know the secret that felt like it was just for me, but it would make Lila happy... and that was all that mattered.