by Mia Ford
“Oh,” she said shortly. “I’ll be right back with your wine.”
After she left, Thomas laughed. When he saw that I wasn’t smiling, he reached across the table and put his hand on my shoulder.
“June, relax,” Thomas said. He chuckled. “That was kind of funny, wasn’t it?”
“I guess,” I said sourly. “She’s jealous,” I added. I swallowed a lump in my throat. “It’s like she can’t believe you’re with me.”
“Well, I can hardly believe it myself,” Thomas said. He winked at me and I felt my frown melt off my face. “You’re the most beautiful woman in the room. I’m sure she’s just insecure, and she wanted to make you feel bad.”
“Stiff her on the tip,” I said dryly, winking at Thomas.
Thomas burst out laughing. “I should, shouldn’t I?” He snickered. “This menu is incredible,” he added smoothly, switching gears in less than a second. “What looks good to you?”
I glanced down. “I don’t know,” I confessed. “It’s all in French.”
“The lamb is fantastic, as is the hangar steak,” Thomas explained. “Do you like seafood?”
“Sometimes,” I said. I wrinkled my nose. “Not when it’s too fishy,” I added. “I only like it when it’s with a cream-based sauce.”
Thomas laughed. “You’re in luck,” he said. “That just about describes everything on the menu.”
We fell silent as Thomas perused his leather-bound menu. I glanced down at mine. The foreign words and accents intimidated me. The only thing I recognized was the word “entrée.”
“What’s chicken cordon bleu,” I asked, forming my lips around the strange words.
Thomas chuckled. “It’s a chicken dish with ham, cheese, and a creamy sauce,” he said. “It’s good, but very rich. Would you like me to order that for you?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “Just get whatever you think is best.” I closed my menu. “I’m hungry, but this all sounds really good to me.”
Thomas nodded. “If that’s what you’d like, then that’s what I’ll do,” he said.
Katharine returned with the wine. She barely acknowledged me as she poured Thomas a taste. I watched, fascinated, as he swirled the glass around in his hand, releasing fragrant aromas into the air. As he sipped, he closed his eyes and relaxed his sensual, leonine features. I blushed hotly – it was somehow sexual, watching Thomas drink.
I wondered if that was the face he made when he came.
“Yes, this is perfect,” Thomas said after a long pause. “June, I think you’ll love this.”
Katharine turned to me with a sickly sweet smile on her face. “Ma’am, may I see some ID please?”
“Sure.” I pulled my wallet out of my clutch and handed over my driver’s license. Katharine stared at it longer than necessary, squinting hard at the date.
“Come on,” Thomas said. “She’s twenty-two.”
Katharine flashed him a big, fake smile. My stomach curdled as I heard her speak.
“Yes, sir, I’m sure – it’s just our policy to card anyone who looks underage.”
She handed my license back to me and flounced away.
“She forgot to fill my glass,” I said miserably.
“June, don’t let this bother you, please,” Thomas said. He chuckled. For a second, he almost looked nervous himself.
I swallowed. “I’m sorry.” I stuck my license back in my wallet and tucked my clutch away. “It just bothers me.”
Thomas sighed. “I know,” he said. “Look, it bothers me, too. But I don’t want it to ruin our evening.” He leaned closer and touched my hand, sending a thrilling warmth through my body. “Besides,” Thomas added with a wry smile. “As much as I hate to admit it, if we keep seeing each other, this kind of thing will happen.”
I narrowed my eyes. “I hope not,” I replied. “I mean, I hope that it doesn’t keep happening.” I covered my mouth with both hands. “Not that I hope we don’t keep seeing each other.”
Thomas laughed. “June, relax,” he said. He poured me a huge glass of wine and passed it over. “Drink this. It’s good, you’ll like it.”
I took a few sips and discovered that not only was the vintage wine good, it was the best thing I’d ever had. Closing my eyes, I took a long swallow and let the flavors burst in my mouth.
“This is incredible,” I said softly. I’d seen the price on the menu – one bottle was over two hundred dollars! – and part of me still couldn’t believe that a man like Thomas was so eager to spend money on someone like me.
“I’m glad you’re enjoying it,” Thomas said. He refilled both of our glasses, then we clinked. Just as I was starting to feel happy and relaxed, Katharine came bustling back up to the table.
“We’re going to start with escargot and baked brie,” Thomas said. “And then we’ll both have the rack of lamb, medium rare, with mint jelly and bordelaise.”
Katharine nodded. She started to open her mouth but Thomas held up his hand.
“Please, only speak if you have something kind to say,” he said.
Inwardly, I cheered.
Katharine’s cheeks flushed with anger and she looked pained. “I was going to tell you that our special tonight is a maple infused salmon terrine,” she said. “Would either of you be interested in trying that?”
Thomas looked at me expectantly. “June?”
I shook my head. “No, thank you,” I said. “I prefer the lamb.”
Thomas grinned. “As do I,” he said. He handed the menus to Katharine, who looked as if she’d been sucking on a lemon. “Thank you. That’ll be all.”
Katharine glared daggers at me as she stalked away.
“June, I really am sorry,” Thomas said in a deep, husky voice. “I had no idea we’d be treated like this, at least, not here. The previous times I’ve had dinner at Daniel, everything was perfect. The servers were very polite.” He reached up and adjusted the collar of his shirt. “I’ll be speaking to a manager after the meal.”
“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” I said quickly. “I wouldn’t want her to lose her job.”
“Really?” Thomas arched an eyebrow.
I nodded. “Yeah,” I said. “I mean, she was rude. But she shouldn’t be fired just because she thinks you’re hot.” I blushed. “I mean, you are hot. No wonder she couldn’t help but stare at you.”
Thomas chuckled. “That’s very flattering, June,” he said. “Thank you.”
I bit my lip and took another long sip of wine. When I felt Thomas’s hand on my knee under the table, I froze. He looked at me and raised his eyebrows, not speaking. After a few moments, I nodded, blushing furiously.
Thomas’s fingers caressed my bare skin, stroking my knee. He slid up, inch by inch, until the tips of his fingers were stroking the inside of my thigh. I blushed hotly and squirmed. It tickled, but it also felt exquisite. No one had ever touched me like this – no one had ever turned me on more than Thomas March.
“You’re flushed,” Thomas said with a smirk. “Are you feeling unwell? Is it too warm in here?”
I bit my lip and shook my head. Thomas’s fingers moved higher and higher, until he was practically at the crotch of my panties. A strange, hot arousal flowed through my body – unlike anything else I’d ever felt before. It almost felt like my crotch was burning. I realized all too late that I was straining my body towards Thomas, spreading my legs and allowing him greater access to my soaked pussy.
As Thomas teased my inner thighs under the table, my clit tingled and swelled. Soon, I could feel that my clit hood had rolled back and my bare clit was rubbing against the fabric of my panties. I bit my lip and suppressed a loud moan as Thomas’s fingers stroked higher. He slid the tip of a finger around the edge of my panties, where my leg met my body, and my eyes rolled my back in my head. I wanted him to take me right there. My whole body was on fire as Thomas teased me, stroking me gently. When his fingers moved to the crotch of my panties and began to touch me there, I thought I would die of pleas
ure.
Suddenly, Katharine swooped over the table. Thomas yanked his hand back and sat up straight, looking every inch the immaculate billionaire. Flushing furiously, I sat up and yanked my skirt down. My breath was coming in hard little pants and I could feel that my whole face was bright red.
Katharine eyed me with cold amusement as she set two dishes down on the table. One of them was vaguely familiar – brie baked in a puff pastry crust, served with fruits and crackers. But the other, a small white dish with nine round holes, was something I’d never seen before. Tiny little lumps of meat filled each hole. Melted butter and herbs covered the dish and it smelled heavenly.
“Escargot,” Thomas said, nodding to the white dish.
I nodded. “Oh,” I said.
“Would you like to try?” Thomas took a small fork with three tines and dipped it into the dish. He speared one of the small hunks of meat and lifted it to my lips. Obediently, I parted and let Thomas feed me.
“Delicious, aren’t they?” Thomas asked.
I chewed. The meat – whatever it was – was surprisingly tender and it fell apart in my mouth. The butter and herbs soaked into my tongue in a sensual blend. I closed my eyes, savoring the small morsel of meat.
“That’s incredible,” I said. “Wow.” I opened my eyes and smiled at Thomas. The sexual energy was still flooding my body, and all of my senses were heightened. When I tasted my wine, it tasted different than before – richer, with more body. It was almost like being incredibly turned on just made things more delicious.
“I’m glad you like,” Thomas said. He speared another tiny piece of meat on the fork and popped it into his mouth. “No one makes escargot like Daniel does.”
I nodded. “It was really good,” I said. I dabbed my lips with the napkin. “What was it?”
Thomas gave me a puzzled look. “Escargot,” he said.
I blushed. “Yeah,” I said. “But, um, I don’t know what that is.”
Thomas raised his eyebrows in amusement. “Snails.”
My jaw dropped. The delicious, buttery flavors in my mouth turned to ash and I spit some wine back into the glass.
“Oh, June, I’m sorry,” Thomas said. He looked apologetic this time. “I assumed you know.”
The blood drained from my face and I wiped my lips with the napkin, not even caring that I’d likely smeared lipstick all over my face.
“Snails?” I gasped. “You fed me snails?”
Thomas chuckled. “They were good, though,” he said. He smirked at me. “You were fine with it before you knew what they were.”
I blushed. “It…was good,” I admitted grudgingly. “But that’s so gross! How can anyone eat snails?” I shuddered.
Thomas speared another on his fork and popped it into his mouth. He gave me a devilish smirk. “Because they’re delicious,” he said. “And come on, you can’t tell me you didn’t enjoy them.”
I wrinkled my nose. “You’re right,” I said. “But I think I’ll stick with the baked brie.”
Thomas laughed heartily. “Fine with me,” he said. “More snails for me.” He wriggled his eyebrows at me and I burst out laughing.
The brie was heavenly, and thankfully it didn’t contain a single trace of escargot. I smeared some on a cracker and topped it with the fig preserves that had come with a tiny dish. Already, despite Katharine’s bitchy behavior and the discovery of escargot, I loved Daniel. I loved the posh opulence, I loved the attention to detail in every dish.
Most of all, I loved being there with Thomas.
When our lamb came, I couldn’t believe how delicious it was. Every bite seemed to melt in my mouth.
“I’m glad you like lamb,” Thomas said. He took a small bite, then a sip of wine.
“Why?”
Thomas shrugged. “It’s one of those things, people either love it or they hate it.”
I laughed. “Whoever hates it just hasn’t tried the lamb here,” I said, raising my eyebrow. “It’s incredible.”
Thomas nodded. “It is,” he said. “But I’m often prone to liking things that many people don’t.” He raised an eyebrow at me and I blushed.
“Like me?” I giggled.
“June, I can’t believe you think that way about yourself,” Thomas said. “You should know – you have so much to offer. You’re young, you’re beautiful – you’re obviously smart, you teach at the best public school in New York City.”
I bit my lip. “I just feel so dumb,” I said. “And so young. It’s so cliquey at school! I thought everything would change, you know. I thought people would grow out of catty behavior.”
“I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but they rarely do,” Thomas said. He shook his head. “My ex, Marlene…you’ve seen her. She still acts like the queen bee, like someone just elected her prom queen.”
I narrowed my eyes. I didn’t know what to say – I didn’t know Thomas very well yet, and I felt like criticizing his ex would only make me look bad. So I just nodded.
“You’ll be fine,” Thomas said. He grinned at me. “I’ve got faith in you, June. You’ve got no reason to ever feel like you aren’t good enough.” He leaned closer. “And besides, you’re the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.”
I blushed hotly. My panties were still soaked with my own juices, but I was feeling so overwhelmed – with the food, with Thomas, with the wine – that I could barely focus. By the time the check came, I felt like I was floating on air.
Thomas paid, refusing to look at Katharine when he handed her his credit card. After the bill had been settled, Thomas stood up and offered me his arm. We walked out into the chill New York City evening and I closed my eyes, resting my head on Thomas’s shoulder as happiness flooded my body.
The valet pulled up in Thomas’s silver Porsche and again, Thomas opened the passenger door for me. I knew that I should be thrilled – after all, I’d just had a wonderful time with one of the world’s sexiest men. But part of me was sad, too – I didn’t want the night to end. I wanted to stay with Thomas forever, smiling and happy by his side.
And now that I knew how much he wanted me, I desperately wanted to have a passionate encounter with him.
“I had a wonderful time with you tonight,” Thomas said. The Porsche rolled silently through the bright streets of Manhattan. I pressed my nose to the glass, staring at all of the bright young people who were just getting a start to their night.
“I did, too,” I said shyly. “Thank you so much for asking me out.”
Thomas grinned. “I’m glad you said yes.” He reached over and I shivered, thinking that he was going to slip his hand between my legs. Instead, he twined his fingers with mine and squeezed. The simple gesture somehow felt almost more intimate than when he’d been stroking my cotton-covered pussy back at Daniel.
I squeezed back. Thomas lifted my hand to his lips and kissed my fingers, sending a blossoming warmth through my body. When he pulled up at my apartment complex, he unfastened my seatbelt and slipped his fingers under my chin. I blushed hotly as Thomas pressed his lips to mine. At first, the kiss was chaste. But then he slipped his tongue into my mouth and I moaned softly as the sensual, slick muscle wormed into my mouth. I was putty in Thomas’s arms as we kissed and I was barely aware of wrapping my arms around his neck and sliding closer to him.
Thomas smelled musky and expensive, like three-hundred-dollar cologne. He nibbled on my lip and took my face in his hands, kissing me deeply. I moaned softly and gave myself over to him, tangling my hands in his thick, silver hair.