In his expertly tailor-made go well with, with what was clearly a dear haircut and much more costly footwear, he appeared like he might afford to eat at locations like this each day of the week, three meals a day. And judging by the best way the hostess greeted him by title and confirmed us to a nook sales space with out batting an eyelash over the truth that they had been closing in about thirty minutes, it was solely attainable he actually did eat all of his meals right here. He actually ordered like he did, with out even asking me what I needed when he ordered about half a dozen various things from the menu I hadn’t even gotten the possibility to see.

“I’m a vegetarian,” I blurted out after the waitress was out of earshot.

“What? However you mentioned you weren’t going to eat like a rabbit!”

The shocked expression on his face made me giggle.

“Why you little—” he muttered, eyes narrowing as he realized I used to be messing with him. His lips turned down in a frown, however his gray eyes twinkled with humor. Swoon.

“Okay, I’m not a vegetarian,” I admitted. “However that doesn’t imply I’m going to love what you ordered.”

“You’re going to maintain me on my toes, aren’t you?”

Heat unfold all through my chest on the implication that we’d be spending extra time collectively sooner or later. I wasn’t positive if it was due to how insanely interested in him I used to be or that he appeared to have Weston’s stamp of approval, however Rhys had managed to sneak previous my standard defenses. “Solely whenever you want it,” I quipped with a confidence I wasn’t feeling.

“Effectively this time round, I can guarantee you it’s unwarranted. The chef who owns this place is a shopper of mine. I picked every of his finest dishes and figured we might share all of them. I’m positive not less than considered one of them will likely be to your liking. Plus, as soon as the waitress lets him know the order is for me, he’ll ship out no matter particular he’s engaged on for tomorrow’s menu.”

It took every thing I had in me to not thump my head towards the desk. After all he knew the proprietor. He was… him. Whereas I used to be… me. Besides, he didn’t take a look at me like I used to be a lady he’d met whereas she was working at a intercourse toy store. And he wasn’t treating me prefer it both. Though I used to be a virgin who was out of form when it got here to relationship—had by no means actually even been in observe earlier than—it was onerous to overlook that he was attempting to impress me with the flamboyant restaurant, the bottle of champagne that was promptly delivered to the desk, and ordering for me. It was working, too. All of the wooing he was doing had me to know extra about him.

After a number of dishes had been served, I needed to admit, he was proper. It was all superb. Aside from the one which had a shrimp garnish. I attempted to not wrinkle my nostril in disgust, however Rhys caught my flinch, laughed, and instructed the waitress to clear it from the desk.

“What precisely is it that you simply do with shoppers who personal locations like this?”

I listened raptly as he instructed me about his work because the proprietor of a particularly profitable funding agency. It was spectacular, and his intelligence shone via whereas he talked about development shares, futures contracts, and margins. I didn’t totally perceive not less than half of what he defined, however I actually loved watching how animated he turned whereas sharing his work. It was clear to me that he was pleased along with his profession. It turned equally clear how sad he was about what I did to earn a residing when the subject got here up as we had been ending our meal.

“How lengthy have you ever labored at Soiled Gamers?” His voice roughened on the finish of his query, as if he compelled the title of my employer previous his lips.

“A bit of greater than a yr.”

“That lengthy?” he grunted, his gray eyes flashing at me.

“Yup.” I wasn’t about to supply extra info, not when he was glowering at me.

“Why—”

No matter he was going to ask was greater than prone to trigger an argument between us, so it was in all probability for one of the best that he was interrupted.

“Rhys, it’s good to see you.”

I glanced over Rhys’s shoulder and located a sexy, and acquainted, man standing in entrance of our desk. He was about the identical peak as Rhys, lengthy and lean, with sandy brown hair and glowing inexperienced eyes… and people inexperienced orbs had been aimed straight at me.

“And also you introduced me a stunning visitor.”

Rhys slid his arm over my shoulders, tugging me near his facet as he glared at his good friend. “I didn’t convey you shit, Owen.”

“Ahhh,” the well-known chef, who I’d seen on tv, sighed as he flashed me an attractive grin. “It’s like that, is it? She have to be one thing actually particular to get you to surrender your monk-like methods.”

“Sure, she’s particular.” I felt his lips brush towards the highest of my head when he paused. “And she or he’s additionally none of your rattling enterprise.”

“Aww, don’t be that method, Rhys. I simply wish to provide her one thing irresistibly decadent.”

“Fuck,” Rhys groaned, his head dropping low as a muscle in his cheek jumped.

“A dessert!” Owen cried out, attempting to look harmless along with his arms held up in entrance of him. “Geesh, what sort of a man do you assume I’m?”

“The playboy type.” The reply simply popped out of my mouth, since I used to be eager about every thing I’d heard concerning the well-known chef.

“Don’t consider every thing you see within the papers, lovely.” I felt dangerous as a result of the twinkle in his eyes had dimmed, however I didn’t have time to apologize earlier than Rhys climbed out of the sales space and was tugging me together with him.

“We’ll should take a raincheck on dessert. I have to get my angel house.”

I tossed Owen a bit wave and smile over my shoulder as Rhys virtually dragged me via the empty eating room to the door.

“He was simply being good,” I chided when he stopped to open the passenger facet door of his automotive for me.

He smiled down at me as he helped me into the seat and leaned over to belt me in. I attempted to bat his arms away however he ignored my makes an attempt. “You retain considering that, angel,” he whispered towards my lips. “As a result of if you happen to carry on lacking the seems different males ship you, I won’t should kill anybody.”

I didn’t have a comeback for that, so I saved quiet when he climbed into the automotive and pulled away from the curb. Full from our superb meal and drained from a protracted day, I fell asleep solely a pair minutes after we left the restaurant as Rhys drove me house. Or, not less than, that’s the place I assumed he was taking me till I wakened when the engine lower off and I discovered myself staring up at an enormous home I didn’t acknowledge.

“The place are we?”

“My place.”

Sharp disappointment stabbed via me. Even with all of the sparks flying between us at dinner, Rhys had acted like the right gentleman. He hadn’t even a lot as stolen a kiss, regardless that there had been a number of moments when he’d come awfully shut. He’d lulled me right into a false sense of safety, solely to indicate his true colours by assuming a dinner date meant I’d go house with him.

“Simply because I work at a intercourse toy store doesn’t imply I’m simple.” My voice cracked on the finish, the damage I used to be feeling coming via loud and clear.

“No! Shit. Fuck,” he hissed, leaping out of the automotive and dashing round to my facet to throw the door open and bend down subsequent to me, taking my arms in his. “I by no means, not for even for one second, thought you had been simple.”

“Then why did you convey me to your home?” I requested softly.

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