Page 183 of A Lick and A Promise
Silently, Knox appeared, scooped up my clothing and kept his face averted as he turned, bent to nab the remaining shoe and strode out of the bathroom.
But I still saw his lips twitching.
I adjusted the nozzle before I turned it on so the water wouldn’t hit me until it was warm.
I watched Knox return with one of his tees (men dug women in their tees, as pertains to Knox, this was okay with me because I loved wearing his tees) with a clean pair of panties on top.
He set it on the lid of the toilet, looked at me, his eyes danced, my eyes thinned, and he walked out again.
When the temperature was right, I stepped under the spray of the shower, doing it looking down.
Red ran down the drain.
Allow me to rewind.
The evening started out killer.
Honestly, I wished real life could go slow-mo and a natural wind would come up to blow our hair and artfully drift through our dresses because when the Angels rolled into the Red Bear, we were working it.
My dress was hot. Raye’s dress was class. Harlow’s cutesy lilac number was adorable. Jessie’s black cigarette pants and satin blouse were awesome. Shanti’s tight black cami and wide leg marigold satin pants were stylin’. Willow’s plunge-back white top with quarter-length sleeves, black tailored short-shorts and delicate silver heels were daring. Gemma’s black wraparound top with black-and-white checked, sheer flowy skirt were the perfect mix of sexy and feminine. And Joey’s white tank, tangle of necklaces and shiny champagne jeans were rock ’n’ roll chic.
I was totally having visions in my head of brushing my curls away from my face in a slow-mo head shake as the girls, waltzing along the red rug that ran up to the carved wood double door, made our way to the Red Bear.
When we got inside, we all had just enough sophistication not to oo and ahh verbally, we just did it in our heads (and I knew I wasn’t the only one because I saw their faces said the same thing my mind was saying).
When we met Dimitri there months ago, we didn’t go to the restaurant proper. We went to his den tucked at the back of the restaurant beyond the kitchen. It had a welcoming, professorial feel. Even so, it totes gave Russian mob vibes.
The restaurant was not that.
The walls were red, yes.
But there were crystal sconces on them. The tablecloths were bright white. There was a single red rose in a delicate vase on each table, along with votive candles. The waitstaff wore black bowties, pressed white shirts, black pants and long white aprons. The lighting was superb, low and intimate enough to make this the perfect place for a couple’s night out, not so low you couldn’t read the menus or wouldn’t take your mom there for a nice meal.
It did not say This is likely a front for money laundering.
It said Yes, you can propose to your woman here, and you’ll never forget that precious memory.
I should have known we were going to see this because I’d looked up the menu online, and it had beef stroganoff on it, but the beef in their stroganoff was filet mignon.
The very pretty, slender, black-body-con-dress-wearing, blonde hostess looked up to us from her podium as we arrived.
Her eyes widened.
“VIPs,” she said with a distinct Russian accent.
How sweet.
Dimitri told his hostess we were VIPs.
“Please, this way,” she said and gestured to the side with her slim hand tipped with blood red nails.
We walked farther into the restaurant and headed toward a space in the back corner that was on a rise and delineated by intricate latticework dark-wood panels. You could see in, but not quite. It had a huge, round table in it, but there was not a single red rose decorating it. Instead, a massive bouquet sat in the middle, with another rose at each place setting. And there was a large champagne stand with several bottles already chilling and a napkin folded over it resting by the table.
Oh, and Titus was there. He was wearing a black T-shirt, black slacks and a perfectly tailored gray blazer with the fine edge of a black pocket square in it.
He was working it too, but the man was gorgeous. He worked everything.
Last, for some reason, Tex was also there.
