Chapter 12 Rafael #2
A slow exhale drifted from my parted lips, and I finished buttoning it up. I decided to leave my hair, only fixing it. Jewelry was a minimum, a few pieces decorating my ears. I paired it with a basic pair of slacks.
"You're taking too long."
The door opened as I finished buttoning the top. I twisted around to find Cesare staring at me, or more importantly, the shirt.
Could he be remembering? The question from earlier had been out of nowhere. For a second, I'd held hope that he remembered who I was, but when he didn't follow it up with anything, that hope fizzled out.
"This okay?"
Cesare grunted, and I stayed still. A few days away from me, and he was already back to grunting his replies. When I didn't move toward him, he sighed. " Yes, now let's go."
Click.
I kissed his cheek with a smile on my face.
The restaurant was a few blocks from Central Park. The traffic was a bitch, but I found being pressed up against Cesare made the time go by entirely too fast. He also let me have my hand on his thigh since I wasn't in trouble this time. It was progress.
We pulled to stop, and I sat up, trying to peer out the window to see where we were.
"Behave while we're out," Cesare warned.
I placed a hand on his shoulder before he signaled for Marco to open the door.
"What do I get if I'm good?"
"I won't kill you." Cesare's hard gaze was serious, not an ounce of joke in sight.
"No." I licked my lips. "I want more."
His brows dipped. "Are you trying to extort me for more?"
Fuck yes.
Cesare sighed. "How mu—"
"I want a kiss," I interrupted whatever he was about to say. "And not just some peck. I want you to kiss me with the same enthusiasm as you fuck my throat."
Cesare's eyes flashed at the mention of his cock in my mouth. His gaze dipped to my lips before meeting mine once more.
"A kiss?" His brows knitted together. "Not money?"
I leaned toward him until our lips were an inch from each other. I could practically taste him. "A kiss. A real one. Promise me, and I'll be so good for you."
Cesare's hands went to my waist to push me away or maybe to pull me closer. I wasn't sure, but it would be a cold day in hell before I ever told him to remove his touch.
"No inappropriate touching, polite conversation, and table manors."
I licked my lips, loving the way Cesare tracked the movement. "Done."
Please kiss me.
My breaths were shallow as my want grew heavier in the middle of my chest. Cesare's fingers on my waist squeezed a few times, sending like shocks of pleasure dancing over my flesh.
The car door opened, breaking the tension all too soon. I let my eyes close as I sat back and tried to grab on to some semblance of control. He was so close to kissing me, I just knew it. I touched my lips, knowing what was at stake tonight.
I followed Cesare out of the backseat and headed for the restaurant. We passed the line outside and went straight to the hostess.
"Please wait in line, we are—" Her lips stopped moving as she looked up at Cesare. She cleared her throat. "Um, sir, I'm sorry, um, the thing is." She stammered over her words, and I honestly got it.
Same. Cesare was a hard man to face head-on. I moved around him and smiled at her.
"We had reservations, and we wouldn't want to miss them." I dipped a little closer to her, making sure she could hear me over the noise of the full restaurant. "If you wouldn't mind checking, I would really appreciate it."
Her gaze tripped over to me, and her cheeks reddened. "Uh, yes." She flipped open her book. "All our tables are full to be honest with you, and most reservations have been pushed back." She was talking so fast I was holding my breath waiting for her to take one in.
"It's okay." I found her name tag and lowered my voice more. "Ashley."
She visibly shivered and her fingers trembled as she skimmed the book.
"I haven't given you our name yet," I reminded her.
"Right."
I went to place a single hand over hers but the fine hairs on the nape of my neck stood on end. Danger. I dropped my hand before coming into contact with her. "Vitale. I caught it two pages back."
I glanced over my shoulder and noticed Cesare was looking anywhere but at me, but I could have sworn he’d been staring at me just now.
"Oh." She rushed over to it, and sure enough found it. She squinted before straightening. "Sorry, your table is ready now." She ushered us to follow her.
"Thank you," I said, causing her to blush.
She had a small waist and bright blue eyes. Her auburn hair was pulled back with loose curls bouncing with every step. Was Cesare checking her out?
I glanced over my shoulder. I expected him to be looking at Ashley's ass, but instead his gaze was trained on me. I stumbled forward, and he caught my elbow, straightening me out.
"Watch where you're going," Cesare said.
"Are you okay?" Ashley asked as she stopped by a table that was in the far back. It was more secluded than the rest.
I plastered on a charming smile. "Yes, it was a misstep is all."
She still sported a blush, tucking a loose strand behind her ear. "Your waitress will be Hannah. She will be by shortly. If you need anything, please let me know. I'm Ashley."
"We won't be needing anything else," Cesare answered for me.
Fear flashed over her freckled face before her smile dipped. "Enjoy your dinner."
She was gone before I could say anything. We took our seats across from each other.
"Did you have to scare her?"
"Why were you flirting with her?" Cesare asked.
Was that a hint of jealousy? I ran my tongue over my upper teeth. "I was only trying to avoid standing outside for a long time."
"We wouldn't have."
"Thanks to me."
Cesare's glare could make a man piss himself. It only made me want to cum.
Our waitress came over shortly. She was blonde with tits that I knew were Cesare's thing.
He eyed her, and I waited for him to make his move.
Her big doe eyes were turned to him as if he could be the thing that solved all her problems. She wouldn't have the opportunity, but I had to applaud her on attempting.
She reached out to touch him, and I cleared my throat, catching her eye.
Her interest was written all over her face. I gave her a smile and ordered us both whiskey. The moment she was gone, I was left with a puzzled Cesare.
“First of all, don’t order for me. Ever. Second”—he leaned forward—“you’re interested in women?”
"Is that hard to believe?"
"Yes."
I chuckled. "No, I'm not, but it's fun to flirt with them. Does it bother you?"
His smile dipped as he opened his mouth and closed it before any words came out.
Interesting.
"Would it be entertaining to watch me with a woman?"
Cesare's brows dipped. "I told you I don't share."
I nodded. "I wasn't suggesting you should. I've heard the stories from the girls at Silver Dreams. You aren't opposed to a few of them playing with each other when you had them for the night."
Did this count as polite conversation?
"This isn't the same."
Why? The question weighed heavily on my tongue as I forced myself to swallow it. I could tell he would either shoot me down or stop responding. I needed to change the conversation. "How's work?"
"Why?" Cesare asked skeptically.
I grinned at him as the waitress brought us our drinks. We both put in our orders, neither of us giving her any real attention any longer.
"Polite conversation was on the list."
He grumbled under his breath. "My work is off-limits."
I blinked a few times. "Why? I wanted to know about any new art pieces you've gotten in."
He sipped his whiskey, and I did the same. The burn did little to quench the desire rushing through me.
"I thought you'd be more of a wine drinker. In fact, that's all you drink at my home."
Nodding, I took another sip. "I prefer wine but whiskey works too." I raised my glass to him. "I picked a good one, didn't I?”
"It's okay."
I chuckled. His whole “I’m aloof and a scary man” only made me want to get closer to him. Cesare was closer to a feral dog that didn’t know what being loved felt like. "Giving compliments isn't easy for you, is it?" I sat back in my seat. "Stop glaring at me."
He cocked a single brow up his glare, not lessening in intensity at all.
I groaned, fidgeting in my seat. "You’re making being good so…” I waved a hand around as if looking for the right word. “Difficult." I winked at him as his gaze dropped down.
The table was shielding my lower half, but there was no mistaking what he was looking for. I was hard as fuck, and honestly it was becoming a problem.
I cleared my throat, rolling my shoulders. Let’s try this again. "In this life, what are three things you can't live without?"
Cesare took a sip of his drink, meeting my gaze again. "What kind of question is that?"
"Are all your dates like this?" I leaned forward with a grin on my face. "Or am I special?"
"There isn't anything special about you," he said. “And this isn’t a date."
I faked gasped and placed a hand in the middle of my chest. It shifted to a chuckle as I relaxed. I was just happy to be on a date with him. "Are you going to answer the question? We could talk about our childhoods."
I folded my fingers together and rested my chin on them, eyeing Cesare. He looked tense at the mention of our pasts. I tabled it for another day. We had all the time in the world to know everything about each other.
"Let me guess: money, women, and love."
His shoulders loosened as he scoffed. "Power, money, and power."
"Not love?" I questioned.
"Doesn't exist."
The way he said it with no hesitation made my chest ache. How could a man like him go his whole life without feeling love?
Don't worry, I'll love you enough for a lifetime.
"You have kids, didn't you love their mothers?" I asked.
Cesare sat up straight, and the look that came over his face could only be described as deadly. Ice picks of fear rained down over my shoulders. It took more effort than it should to force my body not to react, not to run.