Chapter 34
LEONORE
The restaurant is ridiculously opulent. No wonder it takes months to get a reservation.
With its decadent decor and a guest list that reads like a who’s who of high rollers, it screams money, power, and importance.
Crystal chandeliers spill soft warm light across marble floors, and my date sits at the very center of it like he is the king.
Which in this town, he is.
Despite knowing better than to agree, I did.
Though the truth is, I was surprised by our morning.
I didn’t like how many questions he asked.
But in the silence that remained between each, we sat there comfortably.
It’d been a long time since I’d so easily just sat in peace with someone else.
And I hate to admit it, but I have become curious about him.
Though I know it’s more than that, no matter how much I try to fight it myself.
People stare at us and whisper while Silas sits across from me, completely unfazed.
He doesn’t notice any of it, or if he does, he simply doesn’t care. Since we sat down, he hasn’t taken his eyes off me. I have on a tight black dress and by the looks of it, he approves.
He has this way about him. The ability to make you feel like you’re the only person in the room. Hell, the only person on the planet. When Silas looks at you, nothing else exists. For better or worse.
I take a sip of champagne and tell myself not to get carried away.
This is the man I have sex with.
Not a man I could ever be with.
There’s a big difference between the two, and I need to remember it before I do something stupid like develop feelings for a Mafia kingpin who could fuck my life up on a whim.
Been there. Done that.
But it’s hard to keep my head straight when he’s looking at me the way he is.
Oh hell, the bubbles must have gone to my head already.
“You’re staring,” I say, bringing my glass to my lips to hide my flushing cheeks. I don’t feel equipped against him in a setting like I had this morning. For some reason, I feel more unnerved, like he’s studying me more than usual.
“I am,” he says in a low, rich voice.
“Any particular reason?”
“Several.” The corners of his mouth lift. “All of them indecent.”
I take another sip of champagne. I’m not used to this kind of treatment because it’s not something I indulge in. I’m only used to talking in manners of sex.
I slide my heel along his inner thigh underneath the table. A guttural noise escapes him as he grits out, “You’re mistaken if you think I won’t take you in front of all these people.”
“Here I thought you’d make me ask,” I say dryly.
He leans in toward me, his hand dropping to grab my foot beneath the table. “My cock is fucking hard right now.”
My body flushes with desire and need. Fuck me, can we even make it through a dinner without wanting to rip one another’s clothes off?
I bite my bottom lip as I lean in slightly as well, pressing my foot against the chair between his legs intentionally. “Is this date like a masochist foreplay situation? To see how long you can last without ripping my clothes off?”
“Among other things,” he says, his voice dripping with tension.
“Like?”
“Would it interest you to know that I have every intention of sharing every single one of them with you? But that’s dessert.” He leans back, and I can’t help it. I laugh. Wow, he really is trying the wine and dine.
“You really are a charming son of a bitch, aren’t you? Do you really think you are so charming that you could seduce me here in a room full of people? I thought you worked best in the dark.”
He leans forward until I can smell his cologne, and dear God, this man should come with a warning label.
His gaze drops to my lips, then lifts back to my eyes.
“With a body like mine, I don’t mind it being on display.
Make no mistake, I could make you come right here and now.
” His voice is barely more than a rumble.
“But you will do it for me. Touch yourself.”
My breath catches, and my pulse hammers in my throat. I search the dimly lit room. It’s atmospheric, but people can still see. Yet when I look at him, I see the challenge in his gaze. One that I’ve always struggled to back down from, which has become damning.
I sigh, acting uninterested, and flick through my phone. I can feel his gaze on me, curious as I hit send. This is what I enjoy most about Silas: the push and pull for power and control. The game of dominance and the magnetic inability to keep our hands off one another.
His phone lights up on the table, and before he can look at it properly, I lean forward with a wicked smile, and his eyes darken. “How about instead of putting on a show, you pay like a good boy and beg to take me home.”
His gaze flickers to his phone, and I nod toward it, encouraging him to look. When he does, the subtle pounding of my heart begins to silently beg for his attention. It’s a photo of my tits I took earlier, with him in mind.
“I touched myself shortly after taking that photo, thinking of you,” I purr, and his gaze slices toward me, almost black, as he lifts his hand, silently summoning the check.
“I’m going to ruin you tonight, Doc,” he growls with that carnal expression in his gaze that brings my body to life.
“You can try,” I say, biting my bottom lip and grabbing my purse.
“I need to freshen up.” I stand and cross the room, purposely swaying my hips, feeling his gaze glued to my ass in the tight black dress I’m wearing.
But it’s not just his eyes I feel as I make my way toward the bathroom.
Onlookers watch as well, most likely curious about the woman that someone with such a deadly reputation would wine and dine.
I only came here for the food. Oh, and to fuck.
At least that’s what I continue telling myself.
But it fills me with female pride and power, knowing how desperately he wants me. How much I affect him.
The ladies’ room is just as impressive as the rest of the restaurant, with its marble floors and gold fixtures.
I reapply my lipstick as a woman comes out of one of the stalls. She washes her hands and pulls out her lipstick. She’s blonde and beautiful, and wearing a tight red dress on her slender frame with a tall pair of Louboutin heels.
Our eyes meet in the mirror, and recognition flickers in her expression, and my stomach drops.
“Oh my God,” she says, turning to face me. A warm smile spreads across her face. “I know you.”
My heart kicks. “I don’t think so.” I quickly put my lipstick away.
“No, I do. I’m sure of it.” She studies me with bright eyes. “Where do I know you from?”
Dread fills my veins.
“You don’t,” I say. “You must have me confused with someone else.”
I move toward the door, but she steps into my path. She’s not being aggressive. Just confident she’s right. She’s still smiling and completely unaware that she’s just ignited a bomb inside me.
“It’s going to drive me crazy,” she says, tapping a long nail against her chin. “Oh, I know. It was back in California.”
The word rips through me like a bullet to my chest, and everything inside me goes cold.
California.
My pulse slams so hard it makes me dizzy. Heat flashes beneath my skin before draining away just as quickly, leaving my fingers numb around my clutch. My mouth goes dry. Every instinct inside me starts screaming even as I try to keep my voice controlled.
“You’re wrong,” I insist.
“No, I’m absolutely certain of it. It was a gala, and you were there with your husband.”
“I’ve never been to California.”
The lie is easy because I’ve told it more times than I can count.
She frowns. “I could swear it was you.”
I force a smile even as my lungs tighten. “I guess I just have one of those faces.”
“But…”
“Enjoy your evening.”
I don’t wait for her to finish. I push through the bathroom door and only hesitate for a moment as my gaze lingers on the table, where Silas waits as he signs the bill.
This was a mistake.
I slip past a couple as I keep walking toward the exit. My heels strike the marble too fast, breath coming shallow now, adrenaline surging so violently through me I can barely feel my hands.
Outside, I walk faster.
Then I run.
Because my past has just caught up with me, and the only thing I can focus on now is surviving.