Rosie pressed his lips together as he thought about it. “That steakhouse on the Upper West side’s supposed to be good. It’s on 70th, I think. Or I know of some good French places.”
I scowled. “I don’t think this guy’s into French food. And the steakhouse . . . he could wear regular clothes there, right?”
“If he’s goin’ on a date, dude needs to at least wear a shirt with a collar and nice pants.”
“It’s so damn hard to find dress shirts that fit,” I said, groaning. “He’s big, like us.”
“Tell him to have some made. I know a real good tailor.”
I grunted my agreement. “And what about after dinner? Is that it? Does he take her home after that?”
“If she’s a ho.”
My eyes widened in horror. “No. No, she’s not a ho.”
“Then he should take her out dancing or for a carriage ride or for a walk. Maybe to a movie.”
I nodded. “Okay, I’ll let him know. Thanks, man.”
My gaze was drawn to the stairway, where Viv and her friend were walking down arm in arm. Viv turned to the blond with a wide, dazzling smile and my pulse sped up. I felt a sudden, burning desire for her to smile that way at me, which probably made me an epic pussy.
I had shit to do to get ready for this date, and I wanted to get everything right. I had to go to the tailor for a shirt, get my short beard trimmed up by a barber and make a reservation at the steakhouse Rosie had recommended.
Viv’s gaze washed over the crowd as she neared the door. Was she looking for me? I hoped like hell she was. She’d soon realize she was way out of my league, but until then, I’d soak up the feeling of a woman like her looking at me like I was something besides a thug. Like I was better than I really was. It felt damned good.
I was sitting down to eat dinner in my office Tuesday night when I figured I’d get my phone call to Viv out of the way so I could stop worrying do damn much about it. I’d turned into a pimply kid with a crush, but thank fuck no one but me knew it.
“Hello?” she said, her tone all-business.
“Viv. Hey, it’s Kane.”
“Hi,” she said, her voice warm and silky now. “How are you?”
“Not bad. How bout you?”
She sighed lightly. “I’m good. Just got home from the gym. I’m making ramen noodles.”
“Ramen noodles?” I wrinkled my face in disgust. “That shit’s not even edible.”
“Old habits die hard,” she said, a smile in her tone. “I was so broke through college and law school that I actually started to like this stuff.”
“Well, I’m planning something better for this weekend. Is Friday night good for you?”
“Perfect. Should I meet you somewhere?”
“No, I’ll pick you up . . . if that’s okay.”
I’d realized halfway through my sentence that she might not want me to know where she lived.
“That’d be great,” she said. “I’ll text you my address.”
“Okay. Dinner reservation’s at seven, so pick you up at six-thirty?”
There was a pause on the other end of the line before she spoke. “We don’t have to go anywhere fancy, you know. I’m good with pizza or burgers if you’d rather.”
Aggravation flared inside me. Did she assume I only liked to eat at dives that matched my rough appearance?
“I already booked us at Emerson’s,” I said gruffly.
“Okay, that sounds great. I insist on splitting the check, though, since going out was my idea.”
I held the phone away from my ear as I rolled my eyes. What I really wanted to do was beat the goddamned thing against my desk.
“Like hell,” I ground out. “It’s a date, Vivian, so I’m paying. Don’t worry, I’m not broke or anything.”
“I never said–” She interrupted herself. “Wait, Vivian? Am I in trouble or something?”
Her amusement exasperated the fuck out of me.
“You’re damn close, woman. You wanna be wined and dined or not?”
She gave a low hum that sounded a lot like satisfaction. My cock stirred to life from the sound.
“By you?” she said. “I most definitely do.”
“I’ll see you Friday, Viv.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
I pulled on the collar of my shirt and grunted. This fucking thing was about to strangle me. I hadn’t worn a dress shirt since I was a kid, and this was why.
And a tie? I’d never worn one before tonight. It had taken more than an hour and four different Youtube videos to get the damn thing tied.
Stopping at Viv’s door, I took in a deep breath and let it out.
Game face, Kane. It’s only a date.
I reached up and knocked high on the deep purple steel door, avoiding the flowery wreath hanging on it.
She opened it and I swallowed hard. That smile. It made me feel something I couldn’t quite wrap my mind around. And her outfit had me shifting my hips in an effort to discreetly adjust myself. She wore a fitted black dress that skimmed over all her curves just right and bright red heels.
“Hey,” she said, stepping aside so I could walk in.
“Wow. You look . . .” Fucking hot. Sexy as hell. But I couldn’t say those things to her. “ . . . really good.”
“Thank you.”
She picked up a red fabric thing and her purse from a chair.
“Ready?” I asked.
“Yeah. Can you . . . ?” She handed me the red thing and turned around, lifting up her hair.
Oh, hell. Her neck was smooth and creamy. I fought an urge to reach out and touch it. I wanted to wrap one hand around the back of her neck, reach around her waist and just take her in. Slide my hand up into that long, dark hair and pull her back flush against my front. Let her feel how hard she’d made me.
“Uh . . . I don’t . . . what’s this?”
She looked over her shoulder at me and smiled. “It’s a wrap. Kind of like a light sweater thing. Will you wrap it around my shoulders?”
“Oh. Yeah.”
I opened the wrap and spread it out over her shoulders. My hand brushed across one of her boobs and she stiffened.
“Fuck. Sorry.”
She laughed lightly. “You’re fine. Thanks.”
When she turned to face me, I watched her fingers as she fastened a button on the wrap. Red nails, too.
Those hands would look fucking hot wrapped around my cock.
“You look really good yourself,” she said, her gaze moving up and down me.
“Uh . . . thanks.”
I opened the door and held it for her as she walked through. At least I’d gotten one thing right.
The club’s Town Car was parked in front of her brownstone. I’d been planning to open her car door, too, but Len was already standing there. He held on to the door and grinned at Viv.
She said hi to him and slid in. As soon as he closed her door, I shook my head and gave him a look.
“The fuck are you looking at her like that for?” I whispered. “It’s creepy.”
“Sorry,” he whispered back. “I’m just happy you’re going on a date. She’s beautiful.”
“Len, keep your eyes on the road and for fuck’s sake don’t let on that this is the first date I’ve ever been on.” Now my whisper was more like a hiss. Why hadn’t I covered this shit with him before we got here?
His eyes widened with surprise. “Ever? First date ever, boss?”
I glared at him and leaned closer. “It’s gonna be over before it starts if you keep this up. Just drive the car, alright?”
“Yes, boss.” His expression turned serious and he ran around the car to open my door. I’d told him no less than fifty times that he didn’t need to open my door, but every damn time, he did it anyway.
I went to get in the car and caught a final glimpse of Len, who was giving me a covert thumbs-up. I couldn’t help it, I smiled.
“What?” Viv smiled from her seat next to me.
“Len
.” I shook my head. “So are you hungry?”
“I am. I didn’t have much time for lunch today.”
“You didn’t eat ramen noodles, did you?”
She laughed. “No, I had a milkshake at the mall. I was shopping . . . for these shoes, actually.”
I liked that she’d bought new shoes for our date. And the pink flush of her cheeks when she’d admitted it just now . . . yeah, I liked that a lot.
“They look good,” I said as Len pulled into traffic. “I had to go shopping for this shirt and tie.”
“You did well.” She turned to face me. “Were you off work all day?”
“Yeah, but I stopped in earlier to get things going for the night.”
“Have you found a new bartender yet?”
I sighed deeply. “No. I’m trying to steal one away from another club. We’ve got a meeting set up next week.”
We made more small talk about our jobs until we got to Emerson’s. Len was all business when he opened our doors this time. I nodded at him and he got back in the car and headed for the club. He’d drive our VIP customers until I texted him to come pick us up.
The restaurant had tall, dark wood double doors. I held one open for Viv and she rewarded me with a smile. Her bright, warm smile had the opposite effect of her heels and nails. It made me feel soft inside. I looked at her sexy shoes again until the feeling passed.
“Mr. Kane.” A man in a suit came toward us, his hand extended to me. “We’re thrilled you’re here.”
“Thanks,” I said shortly, shaking his hand. His grip was unimpressive.
“Right this way.” He led us into the dining room, talking to me over his shoulder. “I hear Six is doing extremely well.”
“Business has been good,” I confirmed, wondering how he knew I was an owner of the club. I’d only given my name when I made the dinner reservation.
He pulled out Viv’s chair for her and handed us both wine lists. Viv and I looked at each other across the table. I couldn’t hear a word this guy was saying. Nothing was getting through but the dance of her blue eyes and the smile tugging up the corners of her lips.
“Mr. Kane?”
“Hmm?” I glanced up.
“Some wine to start?”
“Oh. Yeah, sure. Whatever you recommend.”
“Very good, sir.”
He left and I cleared my throat. “So . . . you’ve been good?”
“Yes. Busy week at work. How about you?”
“Yeah.” I shrugged.
“So are you from New York originally?”
“Jersey, actually. Came here when I was fourteen. What about you?”
“I’m from Indianapolis. My parents still live there.”
A few seconds of silence passed. I wished like hell I was one of those guys who knew how to carry on a long conversation, but it wasn’t my thing.
Our server brought bread and wine. We both ordered steak and Viv started telling me about what kinds of cases she was working on. I liked watching her talk. Her eyes sparkled when she smiled. She liked keeping her hands busy, whether it was to brush the hair back from her face, tuck it behind her ear or run a fingertip around the edge of her wine glass.
“Are you nervous?” I asked her.
Her cheeks flushed and she looked at her lap. “Can you tell?”
“I’m nervous, too.”
“You don’t seem like someone who ever gets nervous.”
“It’s pretty rare,” I admitted.
“Well, I feel . . . really flattered right now. Is that weird?” She laughed nervously.
“No, not at all.” I took a sip of wine and coughed. Fuck that shit. It was horrible.
“Not much for wine?” Viv arched her brows and grinned.
I shook my head. “Think they’ve got pitchers of beer here?”
“I bet they do.”
“I’m kidding. We’ll drink this vile shit if you like it.”
“Oh, Kane. I really like your honesty.”
I felt a rush when she said my name like that. Oh, Kane. Damn, Viv, say it again.
When our food came, we ate in silence, but our eyes continued the dance. I wondered if she saw the lust and fear and hope I was feeling.
We finished the whole bottle of wine and shared a piece of raspberry cheesecake for dessert. Viv gave me a tentative look as she held the fork up, offering to feed me a bite. I opened my mouth and let her and damn, was it hot.
Since when did sharing a piece of fucking cheesecake make me hard? Since sharing one with Viv. I’d quickly gone from dismissing her that first night at the club to wanting her bad.
When we left the steakhouse, we walked downtown for about an hour. Viv slipped her hand into mine and I threaded my fingers through hers. It was the first time in my life I’d held hands with someone. The warm sensation was back. Or it was still there. Hell, I didn’t know. I just knew it was about thirty degrees outside and I wasn’t the least bit cold.
When Viv yawned, I texted Len to come get us. We were waiting not far from the club, and I got a sudden sense that I didn’t know how to read a woman’s signals on a date. Never going on a date would do that.
“Are you tired?” I asked. “Bored? Should I have taken you home after dinner?”
Viv smiled and rubbed a hand over my upper arm. “I’m just a little tired. Not bored at all. I’m having a really good time.”
I nodded. “Do you want me to let go of your hand?”
She leaned in, pressing her warm body against mine, and looked up at me. “No. Unless you want to put your arms around me right now. Then you can let go.”
I unlaced my fingers from hers and wrapped my arms around her waist. She was so soft, the light, sweet scent of her perfume making me want to dip my face against her neck and take in more.
She had to realize I was new at this. But she didn’t make me feel inadequate. Quite the opposite, in fact.
We stood like that, not moving, and I watched small strands of her dark hair whip up in the cold night breeze. Her cheeks were pink and her lips were a rosy red. Whether she went out with me again or not, I knew I’d never forget the way she looked right now, staring up at me like I was the only man in the world.
I was about to kiss her when I saw the Town Car approaching. Len got out but I stopped him. I wanted to open Viv’s door and help her in.
“How’s it going, Len?” I asked as he pulled away from the curb.
“Good, boss.” He met my eyes in the rearview mirror. “Good dinner?”
“Very good.”
This time my hand found Viv’s and I closed my fingers around hers. The drive back to her place was too short.
Len gave me an encouraging smile as I left the car. I opened Viv’s car door and walked her up to the door of her brownstone.
She turned her back to the door and looked up at me, silently encouraging me.
“I’ve been looking at those lips all night,” I said in a low tone.
“Hmm.” She smiled and tipped her face up.
I cupped one of her cheeks and leaned down, vowing to end our first date with the best goddamned kiss of her life.
Vivian
Kane brushed his lips across mine softly. I could tell he was testing the waters to see if I wanted more. Given how strong and domineering I’d seen him be with others, it melted me inside. I parted my lips and slid a hand around the back of his neck, silently giving him the permission he was seeking.
He wrapped a big, powerful hand around my waist and pulled me against him, his tongue brushing across mine. My heart hammered, the swirl of sensations overwhelming me. The minty taste of him and the solid feel of his hard chest against my soft curves were unexpectedly arousing.
I’d been with men who were in shape before, but never like this. Kane’s body was rock solid and I felt a sudden, powerful craving to feel the skin and muscle beneath his clothes.
His lips left mine and I moaned softly, missing the closeness. He pulled back enough for our eyes to meet, leaving his ha
nd locked around my waist.
I liked what I saw swimming in the depths of his dark eyes. It was hunger–for me, and it matched burn inside me right now.
“Come inside,” I said, my tone barely a whisper.
The corners of his lips turned up slightly. “I’m not coming in, Viv.”
I visibly deflated with disappointment, my shoulders dropping. Kane brought his free hand up to my cheek, brushing his thumb across my cheekbone . . . down to my jaw line . . . over my lips.
Closing my eyes, I reveled in his gentle touch. For this burly, often gruff man to be caressing me this way made me hot in a way I’d never been. I ran my hands up his chest, the carved lines of muscle turning my breath into shallow pants.
He cupped my cheek in his hand and brought his mouth back to mine. I moaned again and pressed myself against him, letting my tongue tangle with his in a dance that had my pulse pounding.
When his hand slid from my waist down to cup my backside, I gasped into his mouth and pressed my fingers into his neck, needing to pull him closer. His lips lift mine but stayed close.
“Did you enjoy tonight?” he asked, his breath warm on my lips.
I let out a single note of incredulous laughter. Was he really unsure?
“Yes. Very much,” I finally said.
“Me too. Are you free next Friday night?”
“Yes.”
“Good. I’ll call you.” He brushed his thumb over my lips one more time before stepping back.
I held myself in check, not letting out the groan of the frustration I was feeling. Before our date, I’d been interested in Kane. Intrigued. I was long past that now. His dark, calculating gaze and silent detachment held me captive.
I’d never been out with a man like him. In fact, I always went for his opposite–friendly, warm and eager.
Kane didn’t wear his warmth on his sleeve. He kept it buried deep inside. And that made seeing it all the more special. That soft brush of his thumb over my lips and his gentle, exploratory kiss had made my panties wetter than any other man ever had by groping me.
I unlocked my door and pushed it open, glancing over my shoulder in hopes he’d change his mind about coming in.
“Night, Viv,” he said. His expression was tender and commanding at the same time, telling me to go inside and not tempt him further.
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