“Um, hi?” she said, her voice wavering.
“It’s Giorgio. Is this a good time to talk?
Her throat felt tight. “It’s fine.”
“I missed you the other night,” he said, his deep voice soft, probing.
She blinked. “What do you mean?”
“At dinner. You didn’t show. You were working late?”
“What?”
“Raquel said you weren’t available.”
Anabelle was furious. “She lied.”
“Lied? Why?”
“She told me I wasn’t invited. That it was a meeting just for the two of you.”
He exhaled. “I see. That’s not what she told me.”
“Mmmhmm,” she said. She was steamed.
“And then when I didn’t call you…”
“Yeah,” she said, feeling silly and gullible. She thought of Raquel and how manipulative and selfish and outright mean she was. She didn’t know how she was going to continue to work for someone like that.
“Your boss is a piece of work,” he said. “I’ll have to keep my guard up. But she does seem capable of handling our campaign. I’d still like to work with you, if you’d be comfortable with that?”
“Yes, yes, of course,” Anabelle replied, putting a hand to her forehead. A headache was forming. “I think Kinetic can help.”
“Good, glad to hear it. I’m looking forward working with you.”
Her heart sank.
“And hopefully going on that date?”
“I’d like that,” she said, twirling her hair and biting her lip.
“Then, how about Monday night? I have to fly out early tomorrow morning for a quick business trip, but I’m back in the office Monday. I could come by and pick you up after work if you like?”
“Sure,” she said, feeling a huge sense of relief, but also kind of disappointed she’d have to wait until after the weekend to see him.
“Would you be in interested in an early dinner and then maybe a walk through Central Park?”
“That sounds lovely,” Anabelle said, thrilled at the thought.
“I know a great place in Manhattan – Carlo’s, if you like Italian.”
“Love Italian. I’ve heard of the place, but I’ve never been there. I know it’s popular though.”
“Great, I’ll get us a reservation and then pick you up at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, if that works for you?”
“Perfect,” she said, and then they hung up the phone. She couldn’t believe it. She was actually going on a date with the gorgeous Giorgio Tsarkopolis. She was on cloud nine.
Anabelle went to sleep happy and hopeful that night that Raquel wasn’t going to win this battle, no matter what tricks she had up her sleeve.
Chapter 10
Monday morning came and Anabelle was a bundle of nerves in anticipation of her first actual date with Giorgio. She had spent the weekend agonizing over every detail of what had transpired so far and wondering about what was to come. She had played countless scenarios in her head about how things might go, what he was going to be like on a date.
She had also been letting her insecurities play on her mind a bit, wondering if he really was on a weekend business trip or if there was something else he was doing. She thought about the rumors that Monday nights were usually reserved for low-priority, secondary dates, and that the important dates for people you were super interested in were always on a Friday or Saturday night.
Not letting her worries deter her, Anabelle had spent a bit more time on her makeup and hair that morning, and dressed up a little for the occasion. Nothing too flashy since she’d be at work all day and they were heading to the park later. She wore a fitted pink blouse, with a tasteful collar, not too deep of a plunge, and not too prim, along with a dark plum-colored, flowy skirt that fell above the knee had a slight flair to its scalloped edges. She wore crystal drop earrings with a matching pendant on a thin silver chain. She chose sling-back kitten heels, not too high for walking, and not too drab. It was a flirty, feminine outfit without being inappropriate for work and the park.
The workday went by at a crawl for her. Her anticipation was building by the hour. Raquel kept coming by dropping mentions of the Tsar marketing campaign, but Anabelle wasn’t taking the bait. She could tell her boss was trying to pump her for information on Giorgio. Wondering if they had spoken, if her lie about the dinner at the French restaurant was out, if things between him and Anabelle were progressing, where Raquel might stand with him, if she had a shot at the hot, rich client. Anabelle put on her best poker face, simply shrugging and saying she hadn’t heard anything from him. She took enormous delight in knowing she had a secret and Raquel was out in the cold. It was a delicious swing in the balance of power between them.
Anabelle freshened up before her big date; applying some strategically placed dabs of perfume, some lipstick, and touched up her hair. She looked at herself in the mirror. The blouse flattered her bustline and the flowy skirt hid the couple of extra pounds she carried. She didn’t have Raquel’s budget to meet with a personal trainer four nights a week, so her figure wasn’t very sleek. It was feminine with curves, not stick thin. She hoped Giorgio would like her just the same. She took one last look in the mirror. Hmmm, she thought. She undid a couple more buttons on her blouse to show off a bit more cleavage. She took in the effect. It was sexier without being too provocative. Just a peek. She grinned, liking the look.
She hoped to get out of the office without Raquel seeing her, so she had texted Giorgio earlier to ask him not to come directly to the office. She’d meet him one building over. He understood why.
Finally, 5:30 p.m. came and he texted her when he was parked. She went out to meet him.
The next building over, there he stood, leaning against his shiny, new, silver Jaguar XK coupe. The car had plenty of automotive sex appeal. It complemented him perfectly. Not too flashy, but high class and undeniably sexy. He wore midnight blue fitted dress pants, tailored perfectly to his fit physique and an ice-blue semi-casual, buttoned shirt, which complemented his striking blue eyes. The first three buttons of his shirt were undone, giving just a hint of sex appeal. His thick, dark hair was styled with a carefully undone look. His belt was understated, but with a stylish, clean rectangular silver buckle. His handsome face brightened when he saw her.
The sight of him took her breath away. “Hi there,” she said, giving him a big smile. “Nice car.”
“Thanks. You look beautiful,” he said in his deep voice, his eyes glinting with appreciation as he took in her appearance. He stood up straight and gave her a hug.
His 6’3” height and toned, muscled body made her heart skip a beat. His cologne was heavenly. She could have stayed in his embrace all evening.
“Shall we?” he asked finally, as he went to open the car door for her.
“We shall,” she said, beaming as she got in. The interior of the car was spotless and nicely cool, with soft music playing.
They drove to the restaurant, making small talk on the way and both agreeing to stay away from work talk for the night, which she was incredibly grateful for, for a lot of reasons.
Anabelle felt the potent sexual electricity being this close to him again. Between his looks and physical build and the car they were in, she was feeling a warm thrill of anticipation. She let her gaze drift over in his direction when she thought she wouldn’t get caught. She couldn’t help but notice the way his pants were fitted around his masculine thighs. He shifted in his seat, drawing her attention again. His legs were parted as they drove and her gaze slowly drew up his thighs to between his legs. Her face flushed. Either it was the cut of his pants or he was very well-endowed.
Just then, he looked over at her. She blushed and tried to avert her eyes in time, but she was pretty sure she had just been busted checking him out. He didn’t say anything, but he smiled as his eyes returned to the road. He shifted in his seat again and his legs opened a bit more.
Is he doing that on purpose? she won
dered as she again stole a glance between his legs. She couldn’t help herself. He was beyond alluring. She shifted in her seat, too, feeling her body respond to the small tease. I’m in trouble, she thought.
Giorgio leaned towards her as he drove and took her hand. “I’m glad you decided to take a chance and come out with me,” he said, “a strange guy you met on the street.”
She felt another zing of electric feelings as he touched her. His big hand felt warm and strong holding hers. “Well, it is a risk,” she said playfully. “You might be a dangerous hoodlum for all I know.”
He laughed. “You’re beautiful and funny.”
She looked over at him, admiring his lips as they curved into a smile. Even in profile, he looked like he could be a model, but earthier. His skin was smooth and his dark hair looked touchably thick and shiny in the slightly more tousled style he wore this evening. His hair had more of an edgy, going out kind of look than she had seen before.
“You’ve probably never heard this before, but you are rather handsome, you know.” She had to say it.
He glanced at her, his eyes warm and inviting. He smiled softly and took her hand, kissing it. She felt a flash of heat go through her as his lips touched her skin, sensually lingering for just a moment. Instead of putting her hand back, he gently pulled it to rest mid-way up his thigh. “I’m flattered you think so.” He squeezed her hand and kept it pressed against his leg.
She swallowed hard as waves of excitement coursed through her. His thigh felt big and strong, very fit. She couldn’t help but stare at where he kept her hand, and then her gaze once again drifted up his leg. Her heart started beating faster as she admired the flattering fit of his pants on his manly form. He was rapidly inducing a one-track mind in her.
As if sensing her thoughts, she felt the muscles in his leg tense for a second under her hand. His thigh went rock hard. She had an urge to move her hand higher, but instead she pressed her fingers a bit more firmly against his inner thigh.
He glanced down at where her hand touched him, his full lips parted, and he took a deep breath. “I like the feel of your hand. Very delicate and feminine.”
She brushed her thumb back and forth across his pant leg, loving the feel of his strong masculinity.
He leaned his head back in his seat. “You make it a little hard to focus on the road,” he said, his voice low and deep.
“Uh oh,” she replied, feeling emboldened by his reactions. “That could spell trouble.” She moved her hand up his thigh a tiny bit, teasing him just a hint.
He exhaled, feeling her touch. “I think so.”
Her mind zoomed ahead thinking about the naughty things she wanted to do to him. She wasn’t normally so forward, but he just oozed sex appeal, without seeming to try to. He was sexy beyond belief, his body begging to be caressed and explored. She swallowed hard as she felt her face and body grow warm. She needed to get a grip on herself.
A couple of minutes later, they reached the restaurant.
Giorgio parked the car. He took a deep breath and looked over at her with sly grin. “Hungry?” he asked suggestively.
His intensely blue eyes took her breath away. “Oh yeah,” she said, glancing down at his lips.
He took her hand and again kissed it tenderly, his pillowy lips feeling almost erotic against her skin. He closed his eyes for a moment, then looked up at her. “I hope I can take care of that.”
She was getting very turned on by their flirtatious back and forth. She almost didn’t want them to leave the car.
He got out and got the door for her, putting his hand out to help her out. He placed his hand on her hip as they walked into the restaurant.
Anabelle already felt like she was walking on clouds and their date had barely begun. There was nowhere else she wanted to be right now than close to him.
Carlo’s Restaurant was a warm, understated, inviting place that had received consistently rave reviews over the years in New York’s culinary guides. It was a star amongst the local Italian restaurants. At the moment, it was only about one quarter full, since it was still early in the evening. They were greeted at the door and shown to their intimate table for two, set near a wall, with a fireplace close by.
Giorgio held her chair out for her as she sat down. “M’lady,” he said.
She smiled, she liked that a lot. “Why, thank you,” she said, batting her lashes at him.
He sat down. He leaned forward, gazing at her most intently, a hint of a smile on his lips.
“What?” she asked, mesmerized by his wide-set blue eyes.
“Our first date,” he said. “Should be a memorable occasion.”
She nodded and smiled shyly. She looked down for a moment, then back up at him. “It already is.”
He leaned back, a happy look on his face. “Shall I order us some wine?”
“Sure,” she said. “I like pretty much anything, red or white, as long as it’s on the dry side, if that works for you?”
“Perfect, me too,” he said, opening the wine menu that was propped up on the table.
The waiter came by, dropping off their menus and Giorgio placed an order for a bottle of red wine. It was a Merlot, a Super-Tuscan Masseto from their specialty wine section.
“Very good, sir,” the man said, then bowed and left.
“Nice place,” Anabelle said, looking around.
“It’s a gem,” he said, nodding. “It’s been a family-run business for the last 25 years. I like that, supporting independent places.”
She smiled, impressed by that.
They checked out the menus, then their waiter brought out their wine, letting Giorgio sample it first. “Excellent,” he said. The waiter nodded and then poured a glass for Anabelle and then one for Giorgio.
Giorgio held his glass up for a toast. “To standout moments.”
Anabelle gave him a big smile. “To standout moments.”
They clinked their glasses and each took a long sip of the full-bodied wine.
“Mmmm, wonderful,” Anabelle said. She had never tasted such a bold, rich, and smooth wine before. “That’s just incredible.” She felt herself start to relax a little.
“I’m glad you like it,” Giorgio replied. “It’s one of my favorites.”
Next, the waiter brought out some bread with olive oil, vinegar, and herbs to dip it in.
They dipped the bread in the olive oil mixture, enjoying the fresh-baked aroma and taste of the bread. In between, Anabelle was taking long sips of the fine wine, which began to embolden her. She leaned forward, showing off some cleavage and gave Giorgio a flirtatious smile.
He took quick notice of her movement. His eyes dropped to her chest, first looking at her sparkling crystal pendant, then dropping lower for a moment. His full lips parted slightly, then he looked up at her with a curious expression. “My turn. What?”
“I just have to know,” she said. “Why is a guy like you even approaching strange women on the street? I would think your dance card would be full all the time.”
Giorgio gave a soft laugh and looked down at his glass.
She noticed just how long and thick his dark lashes were. He had a sensual, captivating appearance. His lips were full and tinged red, his cheeks had a hint of color in his otherwise warm tan-colored skin. His hair, although tamed slightly, looked like he might have just crawled out of bed and ran his fingers through it, inviting one to do the same. And he always had a sly, knowing expression on his face, like he was mischievous, up to positively no good, which promised to be very good. He was magnetic.
“You bumped into me, remember?” he said coyly, looking back up at her.
“Yes, well, that wasn’t one of my more glamorous moments,” she said, lacing her fingers together on the table. “So you’re attracted to strange women who spill drinks on you? Have you considered therapy?” She gave him a pretend frown.
He laughed. “It was quite a memorable moment. Life has too few memorable moments, the kind that catch you off guard, by sur
prise.” He leaned forward as well. “You know that was an interesting day even before you bumped into me and doused me with hot liquid. Twice.”
She giggled. “How so?” she asked, intrigued.
“I hadn’t been able to sleep the night before.” He shook his head, his dark waves moving slightly. “I couldn’t figure out why. I just felt alert all night. I figured it was stress due to work or something. I’m normally in the office earlier than that, but I kept laying in bed that morning, hitting the snooze alarm.”
“Hmmm, and I just happened to go out of my way that morning to stop at the bodega before work…maybe it’s fate,” she said, playfully winking at him.
“I think it was,” he said as he reached out and brushed his finger against her hand.
She felt an immediate warm response to his touch. She was so attracted to him.
The waiter came by to take their order.
Anabelle was disappointed at the timing, but she tried not to show it.
They both ordered one of the homemade pasta dishes with side salads. Then, the waiter lit the candle on their table and left.
Anabelle watched it flicker for a moment in its amber-colored crystal candleholder, thinking of how similar her own feelings were for the man across the table from her. A small flame flickering to life, hot to the touch.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Giorgio asked, looking at her curiously.
She blushed. “I was just…” she scrambled for an answer, “thinking of how nice this all is.”
“I agree,” he said, reaching his hand back out to touch hers. He once again took her hand in his and kissed it. His lips felt soft and warm and tender on her skin.
Her heart raced. “That feels nice,” she said, her voice slightly breathless. It was as if he knew exactly how to push her buttons.
“I seem to be compelled to kiss you,” he said, giving her a suggestive look. “There’s just something about you that makes me want to press my lips against your skin.”
She stopped breathing. She felt herself blush furiously. She couldn’t think of a response. At least not one that wasn’t R- or X-rated.
Love in the City, an erotic romance novel Page 7