Her gut was tight, and her heart felt as though it would pound its way out of her chest. The man had been not-so-subtlety flirting with her since the moment she’d gotten into his car.
“Yes, well.” Gordan sat back in his chair a bit more. “I have a feeling you look fabulous no matter what you choose to wear.”
It was all she could do to conceal her disgust and keep her expression steady. To distract herself from the knowledge of who this man truly was, Alex reached for the hardcover menu before her.
“Don’t trouble yourself with the menu, my dear. I took the liberty of ordering ahead.”
“Oh.” She blinked. “You did?”
Could this guy be any more pretentious?
“Trust me. The chef is a personal friend.”
And that meant the guy knew the kinds of foods she liked? She had to work hard not to roll her eyes.
“I can’t wait,” she lied, setting the menu down and picking up the crystal water goblet instead. The cool, crisp liquid felt refreshing on her dry throat as she took a generous sip.
“I apologize for being forward, but I feel obligated to ask. You and Mr. Morris . . .”
“Mr. Morris?” Alex was momentarily confused. “Oh, you mean Cole.”
Nice save, Al.
Gordan nodded, his mouth lifting into a slight curve though his eyes seemed to be watching her closely.
“If you’re asking whether Cole and I are an item, we aren’t.”
“No?”
She shook her head.
“Well, I must admit, that’s quite a relief.”
A nagging made its presence known deep in her gut.
“How so?” Alex asked the question despite fearing the answer was already clear.
“I suppose I sound a bit old-school by admitting this, but I’d hate to think I was encroaching on another man’s territory by inviting you to dinner.”
Did he seriously just refer to her as being another man’s territory?
I’ll take “What is Misogyny” for a thousand, please.
Remembering she had a part to play, Alex pulled upon every last ounce of acting skills she possessed. She relaxed her tense shoulders and resisted the urge to lift her stubborn chin.
“I thought you invited me to dinner to discuss showing my work.”
“Oh, believe me, Alexandria. I very much want your paintings to hang in my gallery. As you did last night, their beauty will shine brighter than ever beneath my lights.”
Okay, so clearly this man wasn’t merely misogynistic; he was also totally full of himself. It was hard to believe she’d made such a grave error in judgement to put someone like him on such a high pedestal.
You know what they say . . . Meeting your heroes in real life often leads to nothing but disappointment.
It wasn’t the first time she’d had blinders on when it came to trusting a man she admired. The mess her cheating ex had left in his wake should have been lesson enough. Apparently she still had a lot to learn.
Play along, Al. Remember who this man is.
Her subconscious was right. She needed to act over-the-moon flattered or the jerk might become suspicious.
