Page 67 of Nefarious
He caught her hand in his. “Are you ready to go? We have reservations.”
Before she closed the door, she yelled into the apartment, “I’m heading out! Don’t wait up!”
“Roommate?”
“Yeah. One of the interns. Susan?”
“I take it she knows what you’re doing tonight?”
She stopped short and waved a hand over her dress. “Kind of hard to hide it. But if you’re worried, I didn’t tell her who with. She didn’t seem to care anyway.”
They approached his car, and he opened the door for her, but instead of climbing in, she turned to face him. “I never thanked you for doing all this. I feel likePretty Woman.”
He laughed. “Thought you weren’t charging anything?”
“It’s true. You get the pleasure of my company for free.”
“Not quite.” He held his hand toward the passenger seat. “But no worries, your company entertains me. It’s an even trade.”
After they’d both climbed in, and he got the car on the road, she said, “The other night when you drove me home, I never told you how sexy this car is.”
“The car?”
She shifted toward him. “And the driver.” She laid a hand on his thigh.
He gripped the steering wheel and set his teeth. “Selena, please don’t take this the wrong way, but I really don’t want to wreck this car.”
She took the hint and drew her hand back. “So where are we going?”
He gave her a side-eyed smile and didn’t answer. When he parked, she said, “I’ve never been downtown here. Don’t you miss Manhattan?”
“Sometimes.”
He led her to the elevator and up to the restaurant overlooking the city. The maître d’ led them to his usual table, and Dane watched Selena as she took in the view. “Such a tiny city, isn’t it?”
Dane realized he wasn’t dealing with an inexperienced twenty-something. He was dealing with a New Yorker and the daughter of a wealthy man. He’d need to step up his game if he wanted to impress her.
The waiter brought the wine list with an expectant eyebrow raised. Dane asked Selena, “Do you drink wine?”
“Sometimes.”
Dane shook his head subtly to the waiter and said, “We’ll have a bottle of your finest red.” He scanned the menu and settled on a mid-list wine that she’d probably like. He saw no reason to waste a one=thousand-dollar bottle on someone who wouldn’t know any better.
Once the waiter had decanted the bottle and poured the glasses, Dane felt Selena’s toe on his ankle, moving under the hem of his trousers. He was beginning to feel like a cat toy. Not that he minded, but he still had memories of his date with Noelle and her cutting verbal sparring. But he had a bird in the hand.
“What would you like, little bird? The steak?”
They talked easily through dinner. Dane let Selena take his hand and even rubbed her thumb back. When that brought a satisfied grin from her, he squeezed her fingers and then brought them to his lips. The whole time they made casual conversation, she batted her eyes and smiled in a way he assumed was meant to be seductive. He came to the realization that she wasn’t inexperienced with the world, but she was completely inexperienced with men. And he found it more endearing than off-putting. But it had the unwanted side effect of making him feel protective of her.
And so when the meal came to a close and they climbed in the car, he took the exit back toward Selena’s. She noticed right away. “Are you taking me home?”
“Did you have a nice time tonight?”
She turned completely sideways in her seat. “You didn’t?”
He reached over and took her hand. “I did. You’ve been wonderful company.”
“You know I can’t ask you in. I have a roommate.”
